ASL reset
by fantasy is everything
Summary: Destiny and their respective choices threw them on vastly different paths, yet there was never a bond as strong as the one forged by sake and an oath. Even after reaching this goal, Monkey D. Luffy could not lie down and rest easily. And that was how the three brothers embarked on a new adventure – an adventure unlike any you've heard about before!
1. Awakening on Dawn

**Chapter 1: Awakening on Dawn**

Ace woke up to the sound of rustling leaves and twittering birds.

To say that he was surprised would have been an understatement. He hadn't expected to ever wake up again, really. The blow from Akainu had been fatal, there was no doubt about it. And he'd accepted it, accepted that he would die so Luffy could live.

Slowly, hesitantly, he opened his eyes to be greeted by the sight of a badly assembled wooden ceiling. If it had been any other ceiling, he would have wondered which shitty carpenter had put it together, but this one ... no matter how many years would pass, he would never be able to forget any detail of the first place he had truly felt at home.

He turned his head to both sides, taking in the tree house he and his brothers used to live in. From what he could see, every detail fit his memory to the point – minus a few repairs they'd made in later years. If he had to guess, he'd say that this was the tree house which still housed all three brothers – Ace, Sabo and Luffy. The ASL pirates.

Tears gathered in Ace's eyes, and for once he felt no shame in letting them flow freely. Their fate was such a bitter one – one brother died before he could know the freedom he yearned for, the next for a heritage he despised. And now Luffy was all alone in the world. No big brother to watch out for him, to protect the little idiot whenever he bit off more than he could chew.

Would he be able to make it? It had always impressed Ace just how stubbornly Luffy believed in his dream to become Pirate king. At the same time, it frightened him to no end, especially after he himself first set sail and saw all the kinds of monsters out there. Sure, Luffy had already been a monster in his own right when he was fourteen, but neither him nor Ace stood a fighting chance against the likes of Whitebeard or even Akainu.

But he had to believe. If there was one thing Luffy was good at, it was inspiring people, bringing out the good in them and their will to fight for what they believed in. Hopefully, he'd survived the battle. He didn't care if Luffy hated him for breaking his promise, as long as he survived and kept fighting.

And Oyaji and the others ... Ace turned onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow, muffling his sobs. Why had they come for him? It had so obviously been a trap. Sengoku was no fool, and Oyaji had to have known that. He wouldn't have started a war with the strongest pirate in the world without making certain he would win.

They should have just left him. What had it all amounted to, after all? He'd still died, but now he'd taken so many of his brothers with him, and from the looks of it, Oyaji wouldn't have made it either. He really was a demon, bringing bad luck to everyone who got too close.

"Ace?" The sleepy voice didn't really register with him, still far too occupied with his pain. So much death, so much blood. Ace had never considered himself soft-hearted – he'd faced the dark, cruel side of the world far too early in life to even be able to develop such a weakness. But small skirmishes with other pirates, bandits or marines didn't remotely compare to an all-out battle between the mightiest warriors of both sides. Mindless destruction, countless casualties, needless bloodshed – and he'd watched it all from above, unable to do anything about it while suffering from the knowledge that he'd caused it all.

"ACE! Ace, Ace, Ace, Ace, ACE!" The bundle of endless energy which tackled him only to hug him as if his life depended on it did catch his attention, though. So this afterlife had Luffy in it, too. Did that mean he hadn't survived? Or was it just his soul trying to find comfort with his family? (And how cheesy was that?)

Ace turned back around carefully so he could hug his little brother as well, burying his face in Luffy's hair instead. He still couldn't stop crying, but then, he didn't really try either. The last few weeks had been harrowing, captivity taking a heavier toll on his mind than he would have expected. And then the battle ... it was all simply too much for him.

He didn't know how long they stayed like this, nor did he remember precisely when Sabo had turned it into a group hug. All he knew was a soul-crushing agony, and the comforting feel of his brothers' arms around him, slowly but steadily soothing the pain.

At some point, though, awareness fought its way back into his mind. The first thing he realised that yes, it was Luffy and Sabo hugging him, but why were they crying too? He wasn't sure exactly when this was supposed to be, but he was sure he'd remember if they'd cried together like that. Or was this weird afterlife accommodating to his needs?

It was an uncomfortable thought, but deep down, he knew this was too good to be true. Ace wasn't a particularly good person – sure, there were crazier shits out there than him, but he doubted any of them had ever killed hundreds of people through their mere existence. He didn't deserve such a heaven-like setting – somehow, this would certainly turn into some sort of hell.

He clenched his jaw at the realisation and shoved the two off him, scrambling back and narrowing his eyes. He would find out what was going on here, and right now, the two look-alikes were his best shot.

"Ace ..." The little Luffy's eyes were big and hurt, tears still pooling out of them uncontrolled. Sabo, next to him, was hardly faring any better, though he was wiping his eyes now to get rid of his tears. He looked exactly like Ace remembered – the top hat, the goggles, the missing tooth. "Ace ... you're alive!"

And with those words, any distance he'd put between them was gone again, Luffy's rubber arms drawing him back between the two. But wait ... why did Luffy say he was alive? If this was his afterlife, and these figures were basically his imagination, why would they pretend he was still alive? Ace knew that he was dead – he just didn't know what to expect from life after death.

"What do you mean? I'm dead. Akainu just killed me," he stated as calmly as he could manage in the face of fake Luffy's tears. He was a fake, wasn't he? After all, Ace's imagination could never live up to the mind-boggling reality of his little (and arguably insane) brother. But he looked so real ...

His words elicited another round of heart-wrenching sobs from Luffy, his hug becoming even more bone-crushing. Sabo, on the other hand, seemed to have gotten a handle on his emotions, expression turning serious instead.

"Right, I probably should explain what's going on here," Sabo said to him, "since I doubt Luffy will be up to it any time soon." That was, admittedly, easier than what Ace had expected. He hadn't considered that the two would actually be willing to explain everything without him even asking. Things didn't usually go that well.

"The thing is, you did, in fact, die at Akainu's hand. But for Luffy and me, it's been six years since then." Sabo looked at his hands, completely ignoring Ace's confused look. "The War of the Best is what they're calling it now. The battle which saw the end of the old generation, and heralded the start of a new era."

Sabo turned his eyes towards Ace now, fixing him with an intense stare which made it virtually impossible for him to look away. And Ace was used to having staring matches with people far mightier than a ten-year-old Sabo.

"Many important events have taken place since you died, Ace," he continued, "but I won't go into detail now. What's important, is that I've been sailing with Luffy's crew for the last few weeks, and we eventually reached the end of the Grand Line. Raftel. I don't want to spoil the surprise of One Piece too much, but part of the treasure Luffy received was one wish."

"I didn't know what to wish for at first," Luffy mumbled into Ace's wet shirt. He lifted his head and beamed up at Ace with wet cheeks. "I mean, I just became Pirate king! I had everything I'd dreamed about! But ..." He chewed on his trembling lower lip. "It was obvious, right? There was something I'd always wanted, but it couldn't ever happen –" Fresh tears poured down from Luffy's eyes, and he went back to hugging the life out of Ace.

"He wanted to set sail with both of us," Sabo said softly, looking at the back of Luffy's head with a fond expression. "Of course, with you being, well, dead, it was impossible. But apparently, time travel isn't. So here we are, back before the whole mess in the Gray Terminal started which first tore us apart."

Ace stared at him, dumbfounded, his brain trying to process what he'd just heard. Time travel – that was insane, completely impossible, right? But then, a lot of things happened in the Grand Line that normal people couldn't dream of in their wildest fantasies. Maybe it was true. Maybe his little brother had really given them all a second chance.

Unfortunately, he soon realised that something wasn't adding up. He glared at Sabo. "Are you trying to trick me or something? You died when we were ten. And now you're saying that you went with Luffy to Raftel? What do you really want from me, huh?"

"Ace, I ...", he paused, fidgeting, looking positively guilty. "I wasn't actually dead. Dragon, Luffy's dad, saved me and treated my wounds, but ... I couldn't remember anything." Pain was etched deeply into his features, his fists clenched. "My memories only came back right after you died when I read about it in the newspaper. I almost lost both of my brothers without even knowing about it."

Ace didn't know what to say when Sabo, too, threw his arms around his brothers again, nuzzling his head against Ace's shoulder. This all felt so real. But it couldn't be, right? He couldn't be so lucky to have two brothers who'd do the impossible just to be with him again. He had a devil's blood in him. It couldn't be true.

His arms almost moved by themselves, drawing the other boys closer to him and returning their affection. It didn't matter, really. Maybe Sabo was telling the truth and they had really gotten a second chance of life. If that was the case, Ace definitely wouldn't waste it. And if it wasn't – if this was some crazy sort of afterlife he didn't understand yet – well, he'd deal with it when he got to it.

For now, he'd just enjoy the unexpected time with his brothers.

xXx

It went without saying that they didn't get much done that day.

Unsurprisingly, it was Ace who put his foot down in the end and told them to get a grip. It was already mid-afternoon when he lost his patience, which was pretty impressive, considering that Sabo and Luffy broke down every few minutes and hugged him as if they were afraid he'd disappear again.

Sabo knew, of course, that he was right. While neither of them were unaccustomed to going without food for a period of time, they would need to go hunting at some point. Especially since they had a lot of muscle to build back up.

Fortunately, not all of their abilities had disappeared, as they quickly realised a few minutes into their hunting trip. Most prominently, their Haki had barely diminshed. Though Sabo supposed it shouldn't come as much of a shock since haki was dependent on the strength of their will, not their bodies.

As such, it didn't take long for them to sit around the campfire, roasting their kills and simply enjoying each others company. "We'll still have to get stronger," Sabo mumbled absent-mindedly between two bites, earning himself a questioning glance from Ace.

It only occurred to him now just how weird the situation they were in was. They really had the chance to start over, to do what they wanted, there'd be no unexpected circumstances which forced them into unplanned action – well, in the beginning, at least. On the other hand, Sabo had known nothing but the life of a Revolutionary for years – and now, nobody in the army would have ever heard about him. Heck, they were still in the founding process, unlike the stream of victories they'd been pulling off all over the world when Sabo'd taken some time off to spend with his brother.

It was similar for Ace and Luffy, whether they'd already realised it or not. Ace had found a family in the Whitebeard pirates – would he want to join them again? Sabo wasn't completely against the idea of sailing with the Yonko, but he doubted Luffy could accept not being the captain.

Besides, what would it even feel like, to meet all the people they'd known over the course of their lives, who'd become friends, even family? Nobody would recognise them yet, while the boys often knew their most intimate secrets. Would it even be possible to rebuild such bonds?

He nibbled on his piece of meat thoughtfully, watching as Ace and Luffy had a mock fight over another chunk of meat. It was amazing how quickly they fell back into old habits, no matter that they'd all aged ten years or more.

He'd have to talk to them about it. He knew that Ace and Luffy were anything but planners, but this situation would require a somewhat delicate hand. Determinedly, he gulped down the last piece of meat in his hands, picked up two bones and threw them at his two brothers, effectively gaining their attention.

Well, or rather their anger. "Oi, what's the big deal?", Ace shouted at him, scowling while Luffy pouted adorably. "You're such a meanie, Sabo!" He rubbed the spot on his head, even squeezing out a few tears for show.

"I was just thinking –" Sabo started, but was cut off by a rather large bone being hurled his way. Yelping, he threw himself to the side, narrowly dodging out of its path. Now it was his turn to glare at his brother from the ground, only to receive a devilish grin from Ace in return. Growling, he grabbed the former projectile as if it was his pipe, jumped up from the ground and launched himself at Ace.

Thus a fierce bone fight, which lasted the rest of the evening, was started, until the boys finally collapsed on their makeshift beds back in their base, their bodies still unused to the level of battle their minds wanted to pull off.

When Sabo woke up on the next day, it was with a sense of peace he hadn't felt in years. He snuggled closer to Luffy, stretching an arm over him so he could even reach Ace, and just breathed. It truly felt like heaven, being back here with both of them, all the worries of the world still so far away from them.

One after another, both Ace and Luffy woke up, but neither made a move to end the embrace, instead also choosing to savour the moment.

They stayed in bed far longer than any of them usually would. Gentle sunrays had already bathed their base in a beautiful light for several hours when Luffy finally started squirming a little bit. Reluctantly, Sabo let go of his brothers, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He watched his brothers as they stretched and yawned, Ace using his fingers as a comb. Luffy dunked his head into their water barrel and proceeded to sprinkle water all over the place in an effort to dry his hair.

A contended smile spread over Sabo's face. There truly was no place like family. Nothing would tear them apart this time around – not even death could stop them, after all. "What do you wanna do, then?"

Startled looks treated him from both sides. "What do you mean, today?", Ace asked confusedly. "I guess we'll hunt, and spar, and train a bit, right?"

Sabo sighed, ignoring Luffy's shout for food. It looked like he was back to being the brains for three people. "No, I mean, what do you wanna do, now that we're back in the past. We all had separate lives the last time around, but if we plan on sailing together ... what do you wanna do?" Understanding bloomed on their faces, much to Sabo's relief.

Luffy grinned. "I'm gonna be Pirate king!", he paused for a second, his face turning pensive, before he continued, "again?" Now he seemed to be thinking hard.

Ace's expression turned rather serious as he considered Sabo's question. "Well, I can't really imagine being anything but a pirate. I guess it's in my blood." Now, he looked rather grim, and no less thoughtful than his little brother.

"Ace ..." Sabo's voice trailed off, unsure of what he could say to the former Pirate King's son. Ace's grudge against his father had been bad enough the first time around, but that was before his heritage had gotten him and so many of his chosen family killed.

"Ace, it's not his fault, you know that, right? From what I've heard, Roger was a pretty decent person, and he never called himself the Pirate King. It was the government who gave him that designation." Sabo's fists clenched at the thought of that corrupt organisation, his revolutionary heart burning brightly. "They just poison everything." His voice was at least as bitter as Ace's before.

"Then we'll just kick their asses again." Both Sabo and Ace looked at their little brother, who looked nothing like a seven-year-old anymore. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes, and his fierce expression would have caused his lesser enemies to quiver in fear. "We're going to be pirates together, and we'll be free to do what we want. It doesn't matter whether they're marines, or pirates, or Celestial dragons. The world's not gonna know what hit it."

Sabo couldn't help but reciprocate the broad grin on Luffy's face, and from the corner of his eye, he spotted a mad smile on Ace's, too. Yes, they were going to set sail together, some day, when they were ready. He pitied the fools who'd stand in their way, already.

"I guess we've got some training to do, then." Ace jumped up and hurried towards the exit, already halfway down to the ground before Sabo had even moved. The smile on his face broadened as he followed after his brother. Oh yes. The world wasn't going to know what hit it.

xXx

The months passed quickly after that, and every day, they returned to their base stronger. Now that they already knew how to train, how they'd fight, they all knew exactly what they needed to do to become a force to be reckoned with.

But of course, it wouldn't be life if there weren't a few difficulties along the way.

"We'll have to get the Mera Mera no mi once we set sail. It's on an island here in the East Blue, not far out of the way to the Grand Line, and I know exactly where to find it," Ace said one evening as they sat around the campfire, enjoying the meat of the Tiger Lord they'd decided to fight that day.

Sabo grinned mischievously in return. "You're right, I do sort of miss it, too. Pretty handy for lighting a campfire."

Ace looked at him confusedly. "Huh? How can you miss it when you've never seen me use it before?"

Both Luffy and Sabo broke down laughing at Ace's obliviousness, though it really wasn't his fault that he didn't know. The two of them did occasionally tell him stories of what they'd been up to after his death, but many of the major events had gone unmentioned so far.

"Oi! What's so funny?!" Ace sported a major unimpressed look, glaring at his brothers. It really frustrated him sometimes just how much he'd missed.

"Sorry, sorry!" Sabo wiped away his tears, fighting to stop laughing. "It's just that I, you know, I ate your fruit."

Ace's eyes widened almost comically. "You did what?!"

Sabo smiled at him apologetically. "Well, who would you have preferred to have it? Me, Blackbeard or Doflamingo?" The horrified look on Ace's face said more than a thousand words ever could. "Doflamingo acquired it after your death, somehow, and he offered it up as a price in the colosseum. I didn't want it to fall into some random hands, so I entered the competition. Or more like I took Luffy's place in it so he could go kick Doflamingo's ass."

"Oh, we have to do that again!", Luffy shouted enthusiastically, unaware of the shocked Ace next to him. "Mingo really pisses me off!"

"No! We're absolutely not doing that! Why did you go up against Doflamingo in the first place?! Are you crazy?!" Luffy shrugged, looking completely unfazed in the face of Ace's fury.

"Well, kicking his ass wasn't part of the plan at first, really. Law just wanted him to go out of business so Kaido'd be distracted when we attacked him."

Ace's face turned dangerously blank. "Oh, so you just wanted to mess with a Shichibukai to attack a Yonko. That's okay, then," he deadpanned.

Luffy grinned brightly in return. "Really?"

"Of course not! What were you thinking?! Were you trying to get yourself killed?!", Ace downright exploded.

"Well, at least he didn't challenge a Yonko after fighting five days straight in a duel against a Shichibukai," Sabo said in a dry voice, causing Ace to blush slightly.

"That was different!"

Sabo smirked at his indignation. "I guess you're right. It was different. At least, Luffy was able to stand without effort when he picked a fight. Oh, and he actually had allies strong enough to back him up."

By now, Ace's head resembled a ripe raspberry in colour. "Shut up!" He launched himself at Sabo, turning the conversation into a sparring session. Luffy watched them while munching happily through their portions of the meat.

During the first few weeks the three brothers mostly engaged in Ace's least favourite activity – Haki training. Much to his eternal embarrassment, it had turned out that he was actually the weakest of them when it came to those three powers. As such, Sabo and Luffy had decreed that he'd first have to catch up to them before they all moved onto more intense training together.

Ace tried to comfort himself with the fact that they had had much more time to perfect their skills, but it turned out to be pretty difficult since Sabo loved to rub it into his face that he was behind Luffy. It also didn't help that the two clearly and viciously enjoyed hitting him around the head with sticks to improve his observation Haki.

Fortunately, though, he soon showed quite a bit of improvement. The most prominent proof for this happened on a day all of them had been afraid of.

As always, Ace sat on the ground cross-legged with his eyes bound, and demonstrating quite a bit of skill in avoiding the sticks from both of his brothers. Suddenly, both of them stopped, freezing on the spot, leaving Ace to wonder what was going on with them.

Before he could pose that question, however, he felt an overwhelming sense of doom, and threw himself to the side, simultaneously ripping off the blindfold. He only narrowly avoided the gigantic fist, which left quite a dent in the ground where his head had been just a second ago.

"There you are, little brats! Time for training!" If Monkey D. Garp had in any way been surprised at Ace's skillfull dodge, he didn't acknowledge the feeling. Instead, he proceeded to send fists with the force of a meteor flying at his grandsons, who did their best to avoid certain death.

"How did we ever reach adulthood the first time around?", Sabo muttered to Luffy during a short reprieve Ace had granted the two of them by shouting he'd never be a marine before taking off towards the woods, his grandpa hot on his heels.

Luffy had a concentrated frown on his face. "I think he held back a bit more," he mumbled. "I mean, I'm not fighting with my Gomu Gomu no mi right now, but we're all using Haki, so we shouldn't have such a hard time fighting against him."

Sabo grimaced. "You think he knows what we were doing before he arrived?" Well, they were doing a pretty standard exercise for observation Haki, but he'd hoped Garp only thought they were fooling around. This could otherwise be a bit difficult to explain.

Luffy shrugged before jumping up. "We should help Ace out," he said before running along the path of destruction the two Ds had left behind.

At least Garp was caring enough to provide them with dinner this time around, since the three kids barely had enough energy left to eat, let alone hunt. But of course, he also chose that time to start the interrogation. "So where did you brats suddenly learn Haki, huh?" He fixed them with a suspicious glare which sent shivers down their spines.

But Sabo had luckily developed quite a skill at lying over the years. "What's Haki?", he asked innocently while shooting Ace a look which he fortunately interpreted correctly. With their worst liar, Luffy, distracted by a food fight, Sabo would hopefully manage to sell the story convincingly.

"You're telling me you don't know?", Garp asked in his bellowing voice. Sabo only shook his head in response. It effectively prompted the Marine hero to elaborate. "Haki is a representation of your willpower and there are three different types. I know all of you were using observation Haki today, so don't try to deny it!"

Sabo convincingly pulled of a stunned and thoughtful expression. "Observation Haki? That's what it's called? How we can see attacks before they're coming?"

"Ha, so you admit it! Who taught you?" Sabo leaned back at the shouted accusation, grimacing a bit at the volume. Seriously, could the old geezer not talk in a normal voice, for once?

His face was full of righteous indignation (well, fake righteousness considering he was lying his ass off) when he shouted back, "Nobody taught us!" He paused, breathed, and continued a bit more calmly. "We've just been trying to learn it for a while now, ever since I felt someone attacking Ace when he wasn't even in my field of vision." He stopped to scrutinize Garp, praying that he would buy the story.

The Marine burst out laughing and patted Sabo on the back, causing him to almost topple over at the strength of it. "That's my grandson! Mastering Haki on his own!" He continued laughing and expressing his pride in Sabo. It almost made the blonde feel bad about lying, but he knew it was too risky to tell Garp the truth.

An honestly fond smile appeared on Sabo's face. No matter how brutal their training was and how bad Garp often was with children, he'd still accepted Sabo into the family without question. He truly did have a big heart.

The next big event was one the boys anticipated with equal amounts of dread and a wary sort of confidence.

In preparation of the fateful storm that would hit the next day, they'd made a final trip to the Goa kingdom to buy the supplies and spare parts they'd need to enhance and repair their base. As a precaution, they were planning not to return there until the Celestial Dragon had left again – both to avoid being caught up in the fire, and to not be tempted to punch the World Noble for what he did to Sabo the first time around. They really weren't ready to deal with an Admiral yet.

Sabo kept a wary eye on his surroundings as the three brothers were making their way through Old Town. "We should stay together just in case," he told them without turning around. "I doubt Bluejam and his gang would stand a chance against just one of us, but I think it's better not to take any risks."

"That'd be a good idea," Ace responded with a dry voice, "but I think you probably should have told Luffy about that earlier." Sabo immediately skidded to a stop and turned around to see only Ace looking at him with a sheepish grin.

He buried his face in his hands and growled. "That idiot."

xXx

"Ow!" Luffy rubbed the sore spot on his head, pouting a bit. It didn't really hurt all that badly, it was more the surprise that had gotten to him.

It hadn't taken long for Luffy to get bored after the three had arrived in Old Town. He had always hated supply runs – even when he was captain, his crew knew better than to ask him to buy anything specific. He'd often pull a Zoro unintentionally – not because he didn't know where he was going, but because something else caught his attention and he forgot all about what he was supposed to do.

So when Sabo had started listing all the things they should be getting, Luffy had barely stifled a yawn. Sure, last time, they'd lost Sabo in the next few days, but Luffy knew this wouldn't happen again. They were much stronger now, so he didn't really get why they'd need to take all sorts of precautions considering nobody in the East Blue was a match for them.

Luffy had slowed down bit by bit before he'd come to a stop, his hat shadowing his eyes as he'd sunk deep into thought. If he were the one to make the choice, the three brothers would have set sail already. They were almost strong enough for Paradise now after the rigorous training they'd put themselves through the last few months, so he didn't see any reason to wait any longer.

But both Sabo and Ace insisted that they'd have to wait until they were at least fifteen, or nobody would ever take them seriously. In Luffy's opinion, that sounded like an advantage when it came to fights – an advantage he'd often gleefully abused in the past. He'd only agreed in the end because both Ace and Sabo wanted to wait, and they were his big brothers. Luffy'd do anything to keep them safe and happy.

He'd blinked, and looked around only to find that Ace and Sabo were nowhere in sight. "Huh? Where did they go?", he'd mumbled to himself, tilting his head questioningly. Oh, well. The two would be fine without him, too, and this way, he wouldn't die of boredom. He'd just go get some food in the meantime until they came back.

A broad grin had spread on his face at the thought of meat and he'd immediately taken off towards the nearest decent restaurant in this part of town.

This all had led to the current situation. "Mm, that hurts!", Luffy exclaimed again, looking up at the obstacle that had suddenly appeared in his way when he'd skidded around a corner. His eyes grew wide with surprise. "Huh?"

The man who'd fallen to the ground opposite to him mirrored his shocked expression, but in his case, there was some fear and guilt mixed into it as well. Luffy scrunched up his face in thought. This certainly had never happened during his first childhood.

Luffy'd already opened his mouth to enthusiastically greet his dad, before he remembered what Sabo'd said. With an audible snap, he shut it again. What should he say now? Sabo thought it'd be a bad idea if anyone knew they'd come from the future, and Luffy was inclined to agree with him. It was their trump card, after all.

But still, it would just feel wrong to walk away from his father when he'd never really known him in his first life. This was a chance to start over for all of them, right? And Luffy'd always wondered what it would be like to have a dad.

He mustered up his best indignant expression. "Ne, old man, watch where you're going!" He glared at him and puffed up his cheeks, despite knowing that with his seven-year-old body, adults were more inclined to think it was cute than to feel threatened.

It seemed Monkey D. Dragon still hadn't snapped out of the shock of accidentally running into his son. He hesitatingly reached a hand out towards him and mumbled, "Luffy ...", before he seemingly stopped himself and abruptly drew back his hand as if he'd been burned.

Luffy'd never seen his dad look like that. The few times he'd seen him, he'd only dealt with the leader of the Revolutionary army. They never had the opportunity to talk to each other as father and son. But this Dragon was fifteen years younger than the one Luffy knew. He still looked so young and full of doubt.

Fierce determination rose within Luffy. This man there was his father, he was family. And family was something to be cherished.

"Huh? How do you know my name?" It hurt a little bit to pretend to be a stranger instead of running to hug him immediately, especially when he looked so lost. But Sabo's and Ace's safety still came first.

If possible, Dragon looked even guiltier than before. "Uh ... I don't ... I –", he stuttered, before his face settled into an expression Luffy was only too familiar with. "I overheard it. Earlier." He whistled in an attempt at innocence.

Luffy couldn't help but stare had him with an open mouth. Was he really that obvious when he lied as well? No wonder nobody ever believed him! Well, at least he knew where he got it from. But his dad was the leader of an army, how could he not know how to lie?

He threw him a suspicious glare. "That sounds fishy," he stated in a serious demeanour, though it was slightly ruined by his young face.

Surprisingly, Dragon turned out to be a bit more convincing when put on the spot. "No, really! I heard someone call you that earlier! I –" He faltered again. And Luffy had almost been starting to believe him.

Dragon looked down and clenched his jaw, rubbing his forehead, before he mumbled to himself, "Oh, screw this." He threw a cautious look around, before kneeling down in front of Luffy to be at his eye level. "Luffy," he paused again, gaining a determined look in his eyes. "Luffy, I know you're probably going to hate me after you hear this but I'm – I'm your father."

This time, Luffy didn't have to act at all. He really was surprised that his dad would tell him about their relationship so easily. After all, he had given him away because he was afraid of the bad reputation Luffy would inherit. But it seemed that in the beginning, Dragon hadn't been so sure he'd made the right decision.

Since Luffy didn't respond to his announcement at all, his father started to ramble. "I really wanted to raise you myself, I did, but I thought it would be better for you to grow up somewhere safe, so that you could have a normal childhood. I know Garp can be harsh at times, but I like to think that he raised me right, so I thought it would be better for you to live with him. Especially with my line of work ... it just wouldn't have been safe for you and –"

Two thin arms wrapped around his waist cut him off abruptly. Luffy buried his face into his father's chest, and, for the first time in either of his lives, he breathed in his scent. It was a natural sort of smell, full of earth, and rain, and life.

After a few seconds, Dragon reciprocated the hug, drawing the little boy closer to himself. It felt almost as good as being embraced by Ace or Sabo, far more comfortable and homey than Luffy had expected.

"What you're doing is really important to you, isn't it?", Luffy mumbled into his father's chest. After a bit of hesitation, he felt him nod reluctantly. Luffy drew back a little to look up at Dragon's face. "Then that's okay. Everyone should live their dreams."

He received a startled look in return, but there was also relief on his father's face. He must have been really worried that Luffy wouldn't forgive him. He pouted. "That doesn't mean you can't come by to visit, you know!"

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Luffy," his father responded with a grim expression. "I'm a wanted man. If the World Government were to find out that I came here regularly, it'd put you at risk. I don't want you to become a fugitive when you're just a kid."

Luffy countered in an equally serious tone, "You don't have to go out of your way to come here. Just when you're in the neighbourhood, maybe?" He felt a bit selfish for making demands when he knew that Dragon just wanted to keep him safe, but maybe there was a childish part buried within him that wanted to know his dad.

"Besides, I can take care of myself!", he shouted in a cheerful tone. "I'm really strong, you know, because I'm gonna be the Pirate king some day. I'll be a wanted man, too!"

He ignored the indulgent smile from his father, knowing that nobody would believe that claim from a seven-year-old without hard proof of their strength. Maybe he should challenge him to a match. That was sure to get him some respect. "What does Garp say to this?"

Luffy looked around frantically while desperately shushing his old man. "Don't say his name! If you do he'll appear!"

Dragon laughed at his panic. "That bad?"

Luffy grinned at him conspirationally. "He still thinks his Fist of Love will make me a good Marine." He jumped out and stretched out his hand for his dad to take, which he did with a look of disbelief on his face. "You wanna see where I live? It's not anywhere here in Goa, but it's a really neat place, you'll see!"

Ignoring the few words of protest of how he couldn't just wander around, and how he still had work to do, Luffy dragged him towards the gates, passing by the guards unhindered. Getting out of the city was always easy, because neither the guards nor the nobles cared about what went on outside the city wall.

By the time they were walking through the Gray Terminal, Dragon had given up on going back to work for the day, though Luffy was certain he'd only ever argued out of a sense of duty. The desire to get to know the son he'd given up won the battle easily this time, at least.

"I lived in Foosha village with Makino at first. That's where I met Shanks. He's a really strong pirate, and he gave me this hat. I promised I'd give it back to him when I'm a great pirate myself." Luffy grinned back at his dad while he was still tugging him into the right direction. He looked at his son's hat with mild curiosity, and was that recognition? Luffy supposed it wasn't impossible that Dragon had met Gol D. Roger or Shanks at some point, and as such knew the significance of it.

"Grandpa didn't like that much, though, so he sent me to live with Dadan and the mountain bandits."

"He gave you to mountain bandits so you'd become an honest and upstanding citizen?" His father laughed at Luffy's nod. "That's so typical."

"It's not as bad as I thought first. Dadan's a real softie, you know, she can't say no to anybody!" They'd reached the edge of the woods now, Luffy's feet finding their way to the base mostly by themselves.

"So that's where you live now? In the mountains?" If Dragon's easy acceptance of mountain bandits as a foster family wasn't solid proof for their relation, Luffy didn't know what was.

Luffy shook his head in response. "No, we built our own base a couple of months ago –" He broke off and slapped his forehead, coming to an abrupt stop. "Oh no! I forgot Ace and Sabo!" He twisted around to look back down the path, but Goa Kingdom was long since out of sight. "They're going to be so mad ..." He sighed.

"Who're Ace and Sabo?" Luffy looked at his dad, momentarily having forgotten about him now. What would Sabo say when he saw Dragon again? The man had been a mentor, almost like a father to his blonde brother.

"They're my big brothers. We went to Old Town together, but I sort of lost them a while back." He smiled sheepishly. "Well, it'll still be best to go back to the base, I think. It's where they'll look first."

The rest of the trip passed in silence due to Luffy being rather distracted and more than a little worried. He really hadn't considered Sabo in all this. For Luffy, it was the first time to get to know Dragon as his dad, but Sabo had already been close to him in his last life. There was no telling how he'd react.

Finally, they arrived at the tree house. "We don't normally allow grown-ups to go up there, but I guess you can be an exception," Luffy said. "You have to follow my steps, the place is rigged." They'd made it a project to improve their base whenever they weren't out training or hunting. As such, the place now looked a lot better than it had a few months ago, their ASL flag flying proudly on top of the tree.

"And you built this all by yourselves? How old are your brothers?", Dragon asked with an impressed tone once he sat comfortable in the canopy.

Luffy smiled proudly in return. It felt nice to have their efforts praised. "They're eleven, and I'll soon be eight!"

The next hour passed far too quickly in Luffy's opinion. Mostly, he was the one doing the talking, catching his dad up on everything he'd missed in his son's life so far. Even though he wasn't the greatest story teller, Dragon made up for it by being an excellent listener, laughing and gasping and asking questions at all the right moments.

At last, though, he felt Ace and Sabo coming up to the base, their presences first frantic, but soon calmed as they recognized their little brother. There still remained a sense of wariness, however, since they felt that Luffy wasn't alone.

A small smile appeared on Luffy's face. It was so amazing just how far their bond had progressed over the last few months. It almost felt like they could talk to each other without speaking! "They're here," he whispered to his father, who didn't question his knowledge.

"Oi! Luffy!" Ace was the first to make his discontent known, shouting up into the canopy from the edge of the clearing. "Don't just disappear on us like that again! You almost gave Sabo a heart attack!"

Luffy stuck his head out of the entrance to see Sabo giving Ace a playful shove. "Hey, I wasn't the one who wanted to kick in Bluejam's door because he might have kidnapped Luffy." Ace had to pull off a rather acrobatic stunt to avoid triggering one of the traps.

The two looked about ready to start 'sparring' again. Luffy snickered. It was hilarious that it was always Ace and Sabo who rubbed each other the wrong way these days, unlike back in the original time line, where Luffy and Ace never stopped fighting. It was probably because Luffy and Ace spent a long time together, without Sabo, while said blonde seemed to enjoy poking fun at Ace's soft side even more than he used to.

Before the two could get into it again, Luffy spoke up, "Sorry! You just sort of disappeared, so I went to find some meat." The two just rolled their eyes in response, absolutely not surprised. "But I met my dad instead."

That certainly got their attention. "You what?", Sabo whispered almost inaudibly, only a second before Ace shouted, "Your father? Is he up there right now?" A myriad of emotions passed over their faces as Luffy nodded.

Ace was the first one who sprung into action, climbing the rope ladder quickly while Luffy moved out of the doorway. He had a fierce glare on his face when he arrived. "You can't take Luffy away from us!", he growled before jumping to attack the surprised man.

Fortunately, Luffy was fast enough to catch Ace before he reached his dad, despite not having expected this reaction at all. They'd sworn they'd go to sea together this time. Did Ace really believe that Luffy would go back on his word so easily?

The older boy crashed into Luffy painfully from the usual recoil and immediately started struggling against Luffy's iron grip. "He's not taking me away, Ace," Luffy said through gritted teeth, starting to sweat a bit from the effort of keeping Ace contained. "Do you really think I'd let him?"

Ace stopped struggling, but he looked no less furious as he stared at Dragon, who was still at a loss of what to do. Luffy kept his arms wrapped around his brother just in case, both restraining and embracing him.

The stalemate lasted only a few seconds, until Sabo hesitantly peeked through the door, causing Ace to tense. Suddenly, his reaction made a lot more sense to Luffy. While it wasn't Dragon's fault that Sabo'd lost his memories last time, he was the one who took him in, thus keeping him away from his brothers. And now the man was here again, only days before they originally lost Sabo. Plus, with the knowledge of their relationship, Ace stood to lose both of his brothers.

"Hello," Sabo said quietly, sounding unsure of himself. "You're Luffy's dad?" Luffy marvelled at his composure. A stranger wouldn't have noticed that there was anything off about him. Only because they were brothers and knew each other so well, Luffy could tell that Sabo was acting unusually.

At Dragon's cautious nod, Sabo continued, already a bit more in control of himself, "You'll have to forgive Ace. Luffy's very important to us. I don't know what we'd do without him."

Dragon smiled reassuringly at Sabo, still avoiding looking at Ace. "It's fine. I'm happy to see Luffy found such a good family."

Luffy could feel Sabo's turmoil, even if none of it showed on his face. He didn't like receiving the polite treatment only strangers would. Though he had expected it, it still hurt Sabo. Amazingly enough, he managed to slip into a professional mind-set. "Your name is Dragon, right?"

Luffy's dad grimaced in response, but nodded. "You recognize me?" It was more a statement than a question.

"Of course. Your face is rather famous," Sabo responded, before launching into what Luffy supposed could be called a report. "You're here because the Celestial Dragon will arrive soon, aren't you? Then there are a few things the nobles are planning you should be aware of ..."

Luffy tuned out the story-telling, instead focusing on Ace again, drawing him even closer to his chest. "You know we're not going to leave you," he whispered into his ear, "so stop being stupid."

"He just looks so happy," Ace said in a sad voice, keeping a close eye on Sabo, who did seem to enjoy talking with his former boss, even though only one remembered their previous relationship. "Is it really alright for us to keep him from that?" His voice trembled, desperation lacing his every word.

"We're not keeping him from anything, Ace. It's his own choice," Luffy reassured him. "Just because he'll be a pirate this time doesn't mean he won't be a Revolutionary, too. Just like sailing under a different flag won't prevent you from becoming family with the Whitebeard pirates, again."

"It won't?", Ace asked in a small voice.

"Of course not. It might be a bit more difficult, but family will always be family," Luffy said quietly, throwing another look at his father, who listened to Sabo with a keen ear, obviously impressed by the blonde's insights. "It's going to be okay. You'll see."

xXx

Dragon came over a few times during the next days, spending some time with each of the boys until even Ace had warmed up to him a bit. Finally, though, the day to say goodbye arrived. Dragon crouched down before them, first laying a hand on Ace's shoulder. "You watch out for your brothers, you hear me? I'll be counting on you to protect them."

Ace glared at him in response, but there was no real fire in his eyes. "I'd be doing that, anyway. I don't need you to tell me that, asshole." Sabo nudged him sharply in the ribs at the cussing, but Dragon only laughed and turned to the blonde, drawing him into a quick hug.

"Be careful, Sabo. Don't go sticking your nose too far into other people's businesses. It'll get you into trouble some day."

He received a mischievous smile in return. "No promises. But I'll tell you if I ever discover anything interesting." Dragon sighed and shook his head, but turned towards his son without any further reprimands.

"Luffy." He drew the boy with the straw hat into a tight hug. "Thank you."

"For what?", Luffy asked confusedly, but he'd never receive an answer to his question as Dragon drew back, both hands on his shoulders and looking at him with tears in his eyes.

"You're a great kid, and I know you'll be an even greater pirate. Live freely, and walk the path you choose with confidence."

Luffy beamed at him. "Sure thing, dad!"

A fond smile appeared on his father's face. "I'm really proud of you, my son."

With those words, Dragon strode away from their clearing, soon disappearing from sight. They wouldn't see him again for years.

xXx

Ace stared wide-eyed at the newspaper in his hands, the paper crumbled at the edges from his clenched fingers.

More than two years had passed since the brothers had met Luffy's father, and by now, they were downright monstrous fighters, their young bodies barely a hindrance anymore. Luffy was itching to get going, and Ace and Sabo had an increasingly harder time convincing him to wait for some time still.

Ace himself found the thought of going out to sea rather appealing himself, but he could see Sabo's point. While they wouldn't have a problem at holding their own in a fight, they were still just kids. It would be difficult to find a crew, not to mention trade for food or weapons whenever they got to a port. Nobody would take them seriously.

So they still stayed on Dawn Island. It almost felt a bit like they were frozen in time, each day resembling the next. Sure, things never got too boring with the three of them, but there was only so much training and sparring and gathering treasure in the Gray Terminal they could do before it all lost its charm.

From time to time, they got into fights with thugs from the criminal underworld, but none of them proved to be a challenge. Even Bluejam, the big bad guy from their childhood, was really just a joke. How could he even call himself pirate when he gave up the freedom of the sea?

As such, they'd recently decided to spice things up a bit. It had been Luffy's idea at first, but neither Sabo nor Ace took much convincing, even though it was a little risky. Their pirate's treasure had already profited immensely from the new source of income.

Today, they'd been planning to ransack another noble's house. They were careful to always leave at least a month between their attacks, and also made sure there was no pattern in either timing or place.

As always, they'd snuck into town mid-afternoon, where the usual bustle still covered them up easily. Today, though, there were even more people out and about, loud and somewhat off-key music filling the streets. Mead and sake were sold at every corner, the air smelling both sweet from the bakeries running hot and rancid from people's sweat.

Thankfully, a newspaper stand had been nearby, so Ace had quickly grabbed one hoping that it might give them some clue as to what was going on. Otherwise, they'd have had to ask someone at the risk of drawing attention.

The headline on the first page alone explained everything. Ace clenched his jaw. Of course, they'd be celebrating on this day. Why hadn't he paid attention to the date?

He barely registered Sabo peeking over his shoulder and Luffy jumping up and down to catch a look. The older two had just recently hit a growth spurt, so Luffy was just barely reaching above their elbows now.

"Oh," Sabo exhaled, unvoiced cursing colouring his tone as he looked at the front page. "Ace ..." He looked hesitantly at his brother, moving to take the newspaper from him, but Ace's fingers had clenched around the damn thing.

His eyes felt unusually dry. "It's fine," he said in a calm voice, a complete contrast to his true emotional state. "The devil is dead. That's a cause for celebration." He almost felt like a stranger in his own body as a painful smile appeared on his face when Ace would much rather grimace.

"We should get out of here," he heard Sabo mutter to Luffy. His brother took him by the arm, drawing him and the newspaper out of the noisy street to an abandoned alleyway. Luffy, for once, followed closely behind them, a fierce and protective air around him.

Ace still couldn't tear his wide-eyed gaze from the headline. 'The devil is dead! Fifteen years since the Pirate King's execution', it proclaimed in bold letters, a picture of Gol D. Roger on the execution stand directly underneath.

Had they written similar stories about him five years after his death? Had the people gone on the streets as well, celebrating that him and his family were no threat any longer? He supposed Sabo and Luffy would know, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.

"Ace." A strong hand gripped his chin, finally breaking his eye contact with the paper. "Ace. This is government drivel, you don't want to read it. The person who wrote it never even met your father." Sabo's voice was strong and determined, and yet Ace felt like he could barely hear it. His ears were still filled with the laughter and the music from the streets, even though they'd long since left them behind.

Ace didn't even care what the article said about his father. He didn't. Besides, he already knew that Roger had been a monster, an evil that needed to be eradicated, and that he never should have been allowed to have a son.

Nobody could escape their nature. Ace had proven that statement true so many times. He wasn't any better than the father he hated, right? He spun lies all around himself, about his childhood, about his family, about his feelings, and didn't care at all about the consequences. If he'd told everybody who he was from the first day on, the Whitebeard pirates never would have taken him in. It would have saved their lives.

He was all about destruction, theft and death. He'd enjoyed seeing the fear on his enemies' faces when they'd realised just how strong he was. He'd gleefully run from the scene of the crime with his pockets full of treasure. He'd relished in the feeling of superiority when he looked at the blood on his hands and the beaten body of a particularly strong enemy on the ground.

"I'm a monster," the thought passed through his mind over and over again, "I'm just like him." Ace didn't know when he'd started giggling hysterically, when his cheeks had become so wet, when his sight had turned so blurry. At some point, his thoughts stopped being silent, his mouth bubbling mostly incoherently without any filter.

Why was he even still alive? Akainu was right. Someone like him didn't deserve to live. He'd been right to kill him, no matter how wrong it had felt in that moment. Why couldn't he have just stayed dead? Why did his brothers have to be so stupid and naive to want him back? He'd done the world a great favour by dying.

Suddenly, an intense pain brought him back into reality. He held his aching left cheek and looked up from the ground with his currently impaired vision. "Stop saying that!" Luffy was standing over him, his fist still black with Haki, a horrified and deeply sad look on his face. "Stop saying that," he repeated a bit more quietly, desperation lacing his voice.

"You have to live, Ace," his little brother continued, "I need you, we need you to live. I can't do this without you. Not again. I can't." Luffy's whole body was trembling, tears tumbling down his cheeks as he threw his arms around Ace. "You can't die. Ever. You promised, Ace. You have to live."

Ace felt like he was dying a thousand deaths looking at his little brother's shaking form. He didn't know what he was saying. How could he still want Ace after all that had happened? After all he'd put him through? But Luffy looked so fragile, as fragile as Ace felt, not at all like the happy and self-confident kid Ace knew.

"I can't ... I –" Ace's lips moved on their own, his thoughts a jumbled mess. "I have – I have to protect you. I'm a danger. Everyone dies around me. They all died because of me. Because of me. It's my fault. All my fault. I can't –"

His hands were deeply buried in his hair, fingernails breaking the tender skin on his skull. Someone grabbed his wrists, though, bringing his arms back down to his lap. Ace recognized Sabo holding his hands down in some corner of his mind, the blonde looking like his heart had just broken into a thousand pieces and like he was at a loss on how to put it back together.

"I should've known you weren't okay," he heard his brother mumble. "Of course you're not okay." The grip on his hands tightened, but Ace didn't mind the pain. It was still far more gentle than what he deserved.

The sudden absence of weight around his chest caused Ace to look at his little brother – who didn't look at all like the little brother he was used to. There was no trace of the cheerful crybaby, of the weak squirt that needed protecting. The look on his face was one Ace had never seen before. Had he finally seen sense? Would he leave Ace now? He squashed the urge to beg him to stay, knowing that it would only condemn Luffy to a painful death.

"Listen to me, Ace." There was a strange pressure in the air, making it difficult to breathe. Ace's eyes darted around frantically like those of a wild animal backed into a corner. "Listen. To me." Suddenly, he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from his little brother, straw hat shadowing his eyes. Was that his little brother?

"We were all there for you. We were all there to save you, Ace. You," Luffy said with a fierce expression, every word pounding into Ace with the force of Garp's fists. Why? Why did he have to say this? Ace already knew it was all his fault, that he'd killed all his friends and family.

"Because we all love you, Ace. Because we can't imagine life without you. Because you're my most precious person. You, Gol D. Ace. I don't want anyone else as my big brother. I want you, Gol D. Ace. With all your faults and quirks."

Ace didn't know what to think, let alone what to say. He just stared at Luffy with wide eyes, his tears having somehow stopped flowing. Was this what other people saw in him? How he'd become Pirate king? Somehow, it felt like this ten-year-old kid, who only ever thought of meat and his hat, would make everything right.

Luffy took the worn straw hat of his head, holding it with both hands and looking down at it thoughtfully. "This was your dad's first. Did you know that?" He plopped it down on Ace's tousled black hair. "So you're going to wear it now. Today, and tomorrow, and then whenever you feel lonely and desperate. Whenever you feel like the entire world is against you, you will come to me, and I'll give it to you. Do you hear me?"

Ace's fingers hooked onto the thin cord of the hat, nodding quickly and frantically. It weighed heavily on his head, but at the same time, he felt protected, almost invincible. Like nobody could touch him. Having seen the look on his brother's face, he knew that any who did would immediately come to regret it.

Luffy hauled him up from the ground with his broad grin, latching onto one of his arms and dragging him out of the alley towards the city gates. "Let's get home then! Come on!" A small, watery smile appeared on Ace's face as he held onto the hat with his free hand.

That night, Ace couldn't sleep.

He was lying on his back, straw hat on his chest, Luffy's arm draped both across him and his treasure. The moon drenched the treehouse into an eerie, but somehow calming light, shadows of leaves moved by a light breeze playing all across the room.

After hours of staring at the ceiling, unseeing, unthinking, Ace gently pried his little brother's arm of his chest and stood up, putting on the straw hat after a moment of hesitation. In a few quick moves, Ace pulled himself up to the roof of their base to sit down there, knees drawn to his chest, staring up at the stars.

"Gol D. Ace," he whispered, the wind taking away his words the moment they left his lips. "Are you watching me from up there? You and mom?" He hadn't thought that he'd still be able to cry after this long day, but warm and salty tears drew thin lines over his freckles before dropping down from his chin.

"I wish I could have known you," he acknowledged aloud, for the first time in either of his lives. "Then I wouldn't have to rely on others to tell me about you. I wouldn't have to hear stories filled with bias. I'd know the truth myself."

He gulped painfully, his throat uncomfortably dry. "What would you think of me, huh? Would you be proud?" He clenched his jaw, suddenly glaring up at the twinkling lights. "I forgot. I don't care. You're not my father. Whitebeard is."

His gaze snapped to the edge of the roof where Sabo's face had appeared. A couple of seconds later, his brother was sitting beside him, legs stretched out, pressing an open bottle of sake into his hands, never mind that both of them were too young to drink it.

"You know, when you share sake, you become brothers," Sabo said with a reminiscing smile on his face as Ace put the bottle to his lips. He took it back afterwards, taking a swig himself before putting it onto his chest as he laid down and stared at the stars like Ace had moments ago. "You should take his name."

"What?" At first, Ace thought his mind was playing tricks with him. Surely, it had just been his imagination. Sabo wasn't crazy enough to suggest something insane and risky and utterly redundant like that.

"You should take his name. Gol D. Ace," Sabo repeated, looking at Ace now. "It does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Ace stared at him, lost for words for a moment. Then, he exploded. "Are you completely mental? I hate that name! I hate that man! Why would I ever call myself that? The entire Marine corps would descend on us in seconds if I called myself that!"

"You should take his name," the infuriating blonde stated again, completely unfazed by Ace's anger. Before he could interrupt him, Sabo continued, "You know you want to. You're tired of hating a man who can't defend himself. You know he doesn't deserve the blame you put on him. Deep down, you want him to be proud of you. You want to acknowledge him as your father."

Ace was shaking his head furiously, trying to blend out the words coming out of his brother's mouth. They were dangerous, seductive, dangling the dream he didn't know he had before his eyes as if it was within his grasp. "I can't do that. It's insane. Everyone would be after me." But his voice was weak, his feeble resistance breaking.

"We'll deal with that when we get to it. We're all strong enough by ourselves, but together, we're unbeatable." Sabo sat up again, drinking from the bottle before handing it back to the raven. "We're your brothers, Ace. We'll face the entire world with you."

xXx

Sabo was standing in the Gray Terminal, pipe clutched tightly in his left hand, while his right was posed to attack. Surrounding him were a group of Bluejam's thugs, and directly in front of him stood the man himself, grinning arrogantly as if he'd won a prize.

"Not so cocky now, are you, you shitty noble brat?" Sabo rolled his eyes at the uncreative insult, but showed no reaction otherwise. They might think that he was caught off guard, but the exact opposite was the case, really.

Sabo had separated from Luffy and Ace earlier that morning to look for a decent replacement for his pipe since the last one had unfortunately broken in a spar with Luffy. It would, once again, only be a temporary one until he could find a proper smith to forge a custom-made one out of steel or preferably seastone.

After just about an hour, he'd felt some of the guys sneaking around him, but he'd ignored them at first, avoiding them without making it obvious that he knew they were there. Only after he'd found a sturdy pipe, he'd headed into a more abandoned part of the Gray Terminal, where he'd promptly been 'ambushed'.

"You're father is offering a pretty nice sum for you these days, did you know that?" If Bluejam expected an answer to his question, he never would receive one, for Sabo's attention snapped elsewhere. There was another group of people approaching, none of the presences feeling even remotely familiar. That wasn't unusual per say, but it was enough to put Sabo on guard.

"Stop ignoring me, you little piece of shit!" Barely acknowledging Bluejam's shout, Sabo took a step to the side to avoid the coming blow, making the former pirate lose his balance and stumble to the ground.

A devilish little smirk appeared on Sabo's face. "Oh, my! Did you hurt yourself?" Bluejam growled in anger and stemmed himself up from the floor. Before he could launch another attack, however, he was interrupted by the arrivals Sabo had been expecting.

Stepping through the heaps of trash was a tall, lanky, but well built man in his mid-twenties, the light orange hair his most distinguishing feature. He wore a formfitting attire, several knives strapped to his broad black belt, and a billowing green captain's cloak. Several people were following behind him, who Sabo guessed to be his crewmates.

The pirate didn't bother to hide his disdainful sneer as he looked at Bluejam. "You're Bluejam?" His voice sounded rather sceptical. "Business can't be going to well, then, if you're stooping to bullying little kids."

"Who're you?", Bluejam growled at the man, momentarily abandoning his revenge on Sabo.

"The name's Francis," he answered confidently, "and I was told that you're the man to go to if I need quality supplies. You're sure you're Bluejam?" Sabo snickered at the torn look on Bluejam's face. The man obviously wanted to get revenge for the disrespect, but on the other hand, he didn't want to alienate a potential customer.

Brown eyes fell onto him now, seizing him up and dismissing him. "You should scram, kid," he said in a bored voice. "The grown-ups have some business to take care of."

Sabo lifted an interested eyebrow in response, but didn't move a muscle otherwise. It was rather considerate of the man to offer him a way out, not that Sabo was planning to take him up on it.

"Oh, no. The kid's not going anywhere! He's worth 30 million beri!", Bluejam shouted enraged, his previous caution thrown into the wind.

"30 million?!", both Sabo and Francis shouted simultaneously, staring at the thug with wide eyes, then at each other. Surprisingly, the man only seemed genuinely curious what a kid could have possibly done to earn such a price, any greed notably absent from his expression.

"That bastard ...", Sabo muttered, thinking about his biological father. This would make things more complicated. With such a high price, he'd become a nice target for bounty hunters as well, considering that 30 million beri was beyond the average worth of a pirate in the East Blue. He sighed and rubbed his forehead with his free hand.

It was time to get going. Originally, they'd been planning to leave on the day Luffy turned twelve, but they were strong enough to hold their own already. A year or two wouldn't matter much in the long run.

He threw the orange-haired captain a considering look. From his actions and words so far, he didn't seem like the worst guy to be around, and if Sabo's appraisal was wrong, they could always drop the crew and look for another one. They only needed a ticket off Dawn Island, for now.

"Who'd pay such a price for a brat?", Francis asked nobody in particular, staring at Sabo in disbelief.

Seeing as he already had the man's attention, Sabo took his shot before Bluejam could interfere. "It's a long story. I might consider telling you about it later. You said you were looking for quality supplies, right? What in particular are you looking for?"

The captain snorted in disbelief. "What? You offering your services, kid?"

Sabo brought his new pipe to his back in a swift move, a winning smile on his face. "Naturally. Bluejam can't even get within the city walls, so anything he'd sell you would be second-hand trash. Me and my brothers, on the other hand, know the entire kingdom sans the palace like the back of our hand."

"Tch. You think you'll have the chance to get away from here, brat?" Sabo threw a disinterested look at the fuming Bluejam as he ordered his men to grab him. The man really never learned. Before the first two thugs could even get within arm's reach of Sabo, however, they dropped to the ground, a throwing knife in each of their backs.

Francis still stood in the same place, arm stretched out from the attack, a stoic look on his face. His crewmates behind him had also sprung into action and made short work of the rest of the group while Bluejam soon decided to turn tail, though not without a furious promise of revenge.

Sabo strolled towards the pirate captain, a small satisfied smile on his face. Oh, yes. This man would do nicely as their transport, for now. Maybe they'd even offer him a permanent place on the crew. But that was ultimately up for Luffy to decide, seeing as he practically had a compass for people's intentions. "Thanks for the save. I could have handled them, though."

The entire crew laughed as if Sabo'd made a hilarious joke, but the blonde didn't let the polite smile fall off his face. They'd learn soon enough. "I'm sure," Francis stated in a dry voice. "What's your price, then, kid? We need food, ammo and preferably some oak wood planks for repairs. Plus some knives I'd like to choose myself if possible."

"Tell you what. I'll get you into town and show you the best places to buy your stuff. We'll help you smuggle it out afterwards, too, of course. And in return, you'll take us with you to an island of our choosing," Sabo suggested with a firm voice. It was fortunate that he'd been the second in command of the Revolutionary Army in his first life. Negotiations like these were child's play.

Francis frowned. "My crew's headed to the Grand Line, we don't have time to go gallivanting around the East Blue for some brats. We're not a kindergarten, you know," he countered in a displeased voice, but Sabo's smile only brightened in response.

"The island's en route to Reverse Mountain, no worries. We'd just travel with you for a few days and then we'd be out of your hair," he elaborated. "Do we have a deal?"

The captain nodded reluctantly. "If you show good on your part, then yes."

"Naturally. If you'd follow me, then." Sabo navigated them through the trash, the city wall growing taller and clearer with every step they took. While the pirates conversed amongst each other, Sabo searched out his brothers in the distance, sending a sense of urgency which effectively stopped their hunting. He knew they'd come find him immediately.

That done, Sabo slowed down a bit, both to give his brothers a chance to catch up and to be able to listen in to the pirates' conversations. This plan was, unfortunately, thwarted by the captain, whether on purpose or not.

"Why did Bluejam think he'd get 30 million for you?", Francis asked, undisguised interest mixed with shrewd intelligence sparkling in his eyes. Sabo gave him a considering look. Originally, he hadn't been planning to actually tell the long story he'd promised, but he'd liked the man's attitude so far. Surely it wouldn't hurt to put him through another test.

"My father. Bloody bastard raises his price every year, but I didn't think he'd actually go that far," Sabo explained, a look of distaste on his face. At Francis' confused look, Sabo elaborated, "He's a noble and he's aching to get his blood heir back or something." He rolled his eyes.

"You're a noble?!", Francis exclaimed loudly, his eyes growing wide. "You can't be serious! Why would you live with this trash if you could live in a castle?"

Sabo threw him an indulgent and slightly wistful smile. "I don't like to be caged."

He'd never forget the day he'd first set foot into the Gray Terminal, nor the week-long house arrest he got for sneaking off when his father wasn't looking afterwards. It was shortly after his fifth birthday, noble society finally deeming him old enough to leave the house.

For as long as Sabo could remember, he'd always wondered what was behind those high walls he could see from his windows. Questions only earned him shrill shrieks about dirty scum from his mother and condescending slurs from his father.

So when Sabo had finally stepped outside, the real outside, for the first time, he couldn't believe his eyes. From what his parents had been saying, one could have presumed that beings worth less than animals would live there, but Sabo could only see humans. Maybe a little dirtier and less 'cultivated' than the company his family preferred, but they were still humans like him.

That was the day his worldview shattered for the first of many times. Suddenly, the praise his parents heaved upon him, gushing about how smart and polite he was, and how he'd surely marry into royalty some day, only felt like an insult. How could he ever become a prince, a king of such a twisted society, a society which treated their citizens like the trash they threw outside the city walls? How could anyone even want to live in such a delusion?

As the group arrived at their destination, Sabo looked up the towering wall and turned to Francis again, the elder still looking at him contemplatively. "Those walls locked me in just as they keep everyone else out. So I ran away when I was five. I've never regretted it."

"You sure are a weird one, kid," the pirate captain said in response, but Sabo could tell from his thoughtful expression that his words had gotten to him. Good. He wouldn't want to travel with someone who solely defined people based on their blood relations – not that such a person would last long considering Ace's and Luffy's insane heritage. "Anyway, how do you plan on getting us in there?"

Sabo stared towards the forest, facing the direction he could feel his brothers rapidly approaching. Only a few minutes left. "We have to wait for my brothers, they'll be here any minute. More importantly, though, our ... erm ... our mode of transportation can only take two people, so I hope you don't mind doing your shopping without your crew."

Immediately, the group tensed, hands shooting to their weapons in suspicion. Sabo raised his innocently in defence, hasting to elaborate, "I'm not trying to screw you over, I swear! I'll have Ace stay here as insurance, promise."

"You're going to do what now?" A threatening growl sounded behind him, resulting in a grotesque mix between a smile and a grimace on Sabo's face. He threw a look over his shoulder to see a pissed and wary Ace standing behind him, holding Luffy back from jumping at Sabo.

"Ace, Luffy," he greeted his brothers, sending them the reassuring smile only the elder raven needed. "This is Francis. He's going to be our ticket off the island."

While Ace and Francis both eyed each other with a mix of curiosity and suspicion, Luffy's face immediately lit up. "We're leaving? Really?"

"Why is that, exactly? I thought we'd agreed to wait another year, at least," Ace cut in at Sabo's confirming nod. Despite the unhealthy amount of paranoia Ace still sported in this life as well, Sabo could tell that he was excited at the thought of leaving Dawn Island behind to finally go back to sea.

"Outlook's raised the price to 30 million now," Sabo answered, looking every bit as pissed as he felt. Seriously, the man just couldn't catch a hint. Over the years, he'd hired various groups of thugs, Bluejam included, to capture his blood heir and bring him back to the family. A ridiculous sentiment, as far as Sabo was concerned, especially since he knew that Outlook had long since found a replacement for him.

It went without saying that each of the groups Outlook had employed suffered rather painful accidents when they tried to capture the blonde. Still, the man didn't give up, going as far as putting up an unofficial bounty of 5 million in the criminal underworld two years ago.

"Seriously?!" Ace groaned as Sabo once more nodded to his mostly hypothetical question. "I thought he was just some pompous asshole, but now we can add insanely obsessive to the list," he mumbled under his breath, causing Sabo to stare at Ace for his impressive vocabulary. Maybe he should have gotten used to it by now, seeing as Ace had been rather well-spoken for all the years since they were back together, but somehow, it never ceased to surprise him.

"Anyway, I just happened to run into Francis while I was chatting with Bluejam about that ridiculous sum, so I asked him to give us a lift to Kanajime Island. Which he agreed to, if we help him get his supplies first, of course," Sabo explained to his brothers.

Ace grinned broadly in response. "The fruit?"

The smile on Sabo's face looked downright evil as he thought of all the headaches they'd soon cause the World Government and their lackeys. "Hai, the fruit."

xXx

 _A/N: So this was chapter 1, guys. Hope you liked it - let me know what you thought and if I should continue it! I do have some ideas on where I want to take it, but suggestions are always welcome._ _Title is still in the works, I'm waiting for inspiration to strike._


	2. Crossing the East Blue

**Chapter 2: Crossing the East Blue**

Francis was at a loss on what to think about the three boys he'd picked up.

Maybe it was his own fault – he simply didn't have much experience in dealing with kids. He'd always considered them annoying and loud, and much more trouble than they were worth. Not to mention that many didn't have any sense of danger, rushing headlong into all sorts of precarious situations, leaving their parents to pick up the pieces.

At first, he'd thought it was the same case with the blonde brat, Sabo, as he'd later introduced himself. The kid had been surrounded by a group of cold-blooded murderers and thieves, and still he'd looked at them as if they were only a minor annoyance. He'd had half a mind to just let Bluejam do what he wanted and hope the boy would learn his lesson, but it seemed he was still too soft-hearted to just look away from such a scene, just as his father had always said.

At least his idiocy had paid off in the end. He almost tenderly placed the two curved knives he'd purchased in the Goa kingdom on his nightstand, once again admiring the superb quality, far above what he was used to. Sabo hadn't been lying when he'd said that he knew the kingdom like the back of his hand, leading Francis around the city with an obviously well-earned confidence while still keeping a careful eye on his little brother.

That one had been another surprise for Francis. When Sabo had told him to hold on to the little ten-year-old boy, he'd only stared at him in angry disbelief, refusing to move even an inch. Not that that had stopped the brothers. If they hadn't spent half of the trip talking about devil fruits, Francis would still believe he'd imagined the thin arm which wrapped around his torso multiple times at his refusal, subsequently catapulting the trio over the wall.

Francis sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly, before gathering his resolve and leaving the captain's cabin to check both on his crew and his guests. The sight outside left him stunned, his mouth open in an already very familiar feeling of incredulity.

"You're doing it all wrong," the elder raven, Ace if Francis remembered correctly, stated with a small frown on his face. He was talking to two of his crew members who looked to have been in a training spar before the kid had interrupted them. "If you charge at your opponent like that, you leave yourself wide open. A baby could see where you plan to hit him, and you're too slow for him not to evade your attack."

The one Ace had criticised, Quan, blushed furiously while his opponent Goode snickered. "What do you know, brat? You think you're so tough and clever, huh? Why don't you hit me, then, why don't you?!" Francis felt a headache coming. It was just for a couple of days, then he'd have his peace again. Only a couple of days.

He briefly considered interfering as he saw a devilish grin appear on Ace's face. On the other hand, it was Quan's fault for letting his pride get the better of him. Besides, he really wanted to see what the kid was capable of.

The three brothers might just be brats in the eyes of the world, but something about them made Francis hesitate. Maybe it was the fact that despite their childlike recklessness, all of them carried themselves with a quiet sort of confidence, even the youngest one.

"You're on." Goode moved to the side to give the new fighters some room, joining the small group of onlookers that had gathered ever since Ace had first spoken up. Amongst them was the blonde devil with the silver tongue, rolling his eyes at his brother's antics. He didn't seem the least bit worried that his brother was about to fight a strong man twice his age.

After a few seconds into the fight, Francis could wholeheartedly understand Sabo's lack of concern. Ace was fast. So fast Francis could barely follow his moves with his eyes, and he'd always considered his speed as one of his greatest strengths.

Before he could really comprehend what was happening, Quan was on the ground, his sabre now in Ace's hand, who was twirling it expertly. "And you're going to the Grand Line? Seriously?" Francis bristled at his condescending tone. "They're going to eat you alive there. You'll be lucky to last a week, if you don't disturb the wrong person's nap before that."

Quan still seemed in a state of shock of being beaten quite that easily. He didn't even react as Ace stabbed the sabre into the wooden plank next to his head, strolling up to his brother. The arrogant nonchalance he dismissed them with was the last strike, any remaining caution thrown into the wind. "And what would you know about the Grand Line, kid? I bet you haven't even gotten off your island once in your entire life," Francis growled, an angry frown on his face.

His fury didn't faze the boy in the least, a bored look on his face as he looked over his shoulder. "I know a lot more than you do, that's for sure," he said before promptly collapsing. Francis gaped at him, worry now mixing into the rage, crossing the space between them quickly enough to catch the teen before he hit the floor.

Had he taken a hit in the fight after all? It had all happened so fast, but Francis was certain that Quan had been hopelessly outclassed. But maybe the win hadn't been as effortless as Ace had wanted them to believe? Maybe something about his technique sapped his energy so greatly he was rendered unconscious even after using it only for a few seconds?

A gloating laugh snapped him out of his anxious state, looking up from his kneeling position to see Sabo grinning maliciously at his brother. "Serves him right for showing off," he stated with glee. Francis stared at him uncomprehendingly. How could he be so indifferent when his brother had just collapsed?

Sabo must have recognised that he was unnerved at his lack of concern, since he continued, "No need to worry about Ace, Captain. He suffers from periods of excessive daytime sleepiness, though thankfully he barely has any other symptoms characteristic for narcolepsy," he paused, taking in the confused faces around him. "It means he falls asleep all the time in the most impossible situations you could imagine."

Francis could feel his headache intensifying as he dropped the teen to the floor none too gently. The kid fell asleep while mocking them? Seriously? He glared at the offender as he stood up, indignation coursing through his veins.

"Do you think the same?", he spit, now turning his angry gaze to the other teenager. "You've never even seen us fight! We're one of the strongest crews in the East Blue, and you think you can look down on us?!"

A blank expression replaced the previously gleeful one. "I don't think you're weak. In fact, I think your crew has a lot of potential," Sabo stated, falling silent for a moment, but Francis knew he wasn't done yet. "Right now, however, you're a big fish in a small pond. You didn't even know that Devil Fruits were more than a myth before you met Luffy. In the Grand Line, nearly every capable crew has at least one Devil Fruit user."

Sabo paused, fixing Francis with an intense stare that didn't fit the condescending smile on his face. "So yes. I agree with Ace. You're not ready for the Grand Line yet."

Some reasonable part deep down in his mind tried to point out the valid arguments and the sound logic Sabo had presented. Unfortunately, it was largely drowned out by the blood rushing through Francis' ears as he was talked down to by yet another of the brats he never should have allowed onto his ship. Enough was enough.

"Don't get too cocky, kid," he snarled as he grabbed Sabo by the collar, using his imposing height to its fullest. "You're on a pirate ship, my pirate ship. Don't you forget that. I'm a man of my word, which is why I'll take you to the island like we agreed. But all bets are off after that. So I'd be very nice to me if I were you."

"You're delusional if you think your entire crew could take down even one of us," Sabo responded in a cheerful voice, not showing any outward reaction to the attempted intimidation, much to Francis' displeasure. What was wrong with this idiot?

He shoved Sabo against the mast, using enough force to knock the ridiculous top hat of the youngster's head. Any misgivings he had about beating up kids had dissolved in the face of the sheer arrogance the blonde displayed. "This is the real world, brat. You'll see soon enough that you're not as strong as you think you are."

Abruptly, he let go of the lad who promptly dropped down to the floor. With his jaw clenched, he turned away from Sabo and stomped back towards his cabin before he did something he'd regret afterwards. Unfortunately, the brat didn't know when to leave things be.

"Are you willing to bet on that?" He could feel the devilish grin on Sabo's face before he even turned back around to see it. His eyes narrowed on the boy as he dusted off his trousers and put his hat back onto the golden locks.

"Careful now," he growled, even though he knew by now that his warnings would be ignored.

Sabo's expression had turned serious as he walked up to the captain, coming to a stop just short of his personal space. Despite the fact that he had to look up at the taller man, Francis almost got the impression that they were talking at equal heights.

"I propose a gamble. That is something grown-ups in the real world do, isn't it?" he asked in a mocking tone, not even waiting for an answer. "When we get to Kanajime Island, we will fight. Your entire crew against one of us three. If you win, we'll give you the Mera Mera no mi, the devil fruit on that island. It's rather powerful and sought-after, so it would give you some much needed firepower for the Grand Line. However, if we win, we'll get your crew."

Francis stared at him. And stared and stared. His first, fury-induced reaction would have been to agree immediately, dismissing any sort of threat the three brothers might pose. Fortunately, though, the rational part of his mind managed to take back the reigns from his emotions.

If what he had seen only minutes ago hadn't been a fluke, and if all three of the boys could fight like Ace did, there was no way that he could come out of this bet as the winner. Considering how Sabo had acted so far, it was even likely that this wasn't just child-like overconfidence, no matter how much Francis' mind rebelled against that notion.

However, if there was one thing Francis prided himself on aside from his speed, it was his pragmatism. What Sabo was offering him there was a chance to become powerful, and rather quickly, too, from the sounds of it. It didn't matter whether they won or lost, because even if they did lose, they'd suddenly have three extremely strong fighters in their crew.

All he had to decide was whether he was willing to give up his position as the captain if the situation called for it.

"Do we have a deal?" The knowing smile on Sabo's face didn't make the choice any easier. Could he really accept calling the three brats his captains? Did he really want to consider sailing with them for a longer time when his nerves could barely take it for a day?

He gulped and closed his eyes briefly. "Fine. We have a deal." He quickly turned around so he wouldn't have to endure the triumphant smile on the blonde's face, and strode towards his cabin, ignoring the protests from his crew.

Hopefully, this bet wouldn't blow up in his face.

xXx

"I still can't believe you're giving away my fruit," Ace grumbled as the three brothers made their way through the uninhabited island, relying mostly on Ace's hazy memories from the first time he'd found the fruit. Considering he'd been half way to starving at the time, all of them were prepared for a rather lengthy search.

"Our fruit, Ace, our fruit," Sabo reminded him, rolling his eyes at Ace's moping. He'd been grumpy like this ever since he'd woken up and heard about the bet Sabo had made while he'd been down for the count.

"You said you'd give it to me!" Ace' expression turned into an interesting mix between rage and worry.

"I might reconsider if you keep acting like a child," Sabo responded with an amused smile on his face, ignoring Ace's furious shout of denial. "Relax, I'm just kidding. You need it more than I do. After all, I'm plenty strong without a Devil Fruit."

"Oi!" Luffy sighed as Ace jumped at Sabo, the blonde dodging out of the way and making a run for it. Seriously, when had he become the most sensible out of the trio? He was supposed to be the little brother!

Before the situation could get really out of hand, Luffy coated his hands in Haki and simultaneously bonked both his brother's heads while shouting gleefully, "Fist of Love!" Ace and Sabo froze on their spots at first – the usual moment of fight or flight they all experienced whenever the old geezer paid his mandatory visit.

"Can we hurry it up now? I wanna fight already!", he whined, suffering glares from his brothers once they realised there was no immediate danger of a 'training' session.

"Fine," Ace huffed. "It should be behind that cliff, I think. Then you can go kick the crew's asses all you like." He paused, a hesitant expression on his face. "Are you really sure about this? We've been with them only for a few days, and most of the time they just glared at us for our challenge. Is that really a good way to start a crew?"

"Hmm, it reminds me a bit to much of a Davy Back fight, too," Luffy mumbled discontentedly, thinking back to the annoying episode with the Foxy pirates.

"Hey, I was just using an opportunity as it presented itself. You both said you were okay with it! We could've still called it off!" Sabo looked a bit insulted at his brothers' comments, unhappy with the implication that he was forcing people to join their crew.

"Nah, we couldn't have," Ace countered. "We would have looked like pushovers, and you know we can't afford to look weak. We'll already have to work hard to earn some respect because of our age."

Luffy watched both of his brothers as they continued walking in silence, the discomfort caused by the topic obvious on their faces. The last couple of days had made it obvious that sharing the captain's title wouldn't be as easy as they'd originally thought.

While the three had a very close relationship and while it felt like they knew one another as well as they knew themselves, all of them had already been leaders in their own right. They were all used to making decisions without needing to consult anyone. Additionally, their styles of leadership greatly differed from one another.

Sabo had led huge armies as the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary armies. As such, he was used to commanding people he didn't know particularly well, and expected his commands to be obeyed without question. On the other hand, he was probably the one who was most used to consulting people when it came to making important decisions.

Ace might not have led as many people as Sabo had, but he had been both a captain on his own ship and later the commander of the Second Division of the Whitebeard pirates. Unlike Sabo, he was used to knowing the people he commanded intimately, and made his decisions based on his subordinates' specialties. Ironically, he was the one who bowed most easily to one of the others' decisions, since he had been the youngest and most inexperienced commander on his ship.

Luffy himself still didn't like the position of the leader, preferring to give his followers the freedom to make their own decisions. Even when he'd come closer to his goal, when he'd unintentionally amassed a sizeable fleet who was willing to follow him into death, he'd let his people choose their own courses of action, relying on them to know how they could support him best.

The downside of Luffy's stance was that he would never give up the freedom to make his own decisions when he felt like it. He expected others to respect his choices just as he would respect theirs.

The result of this clash was as of yet undetermined. Since all three of them were used to making decisions on the spot, it had only been a matter of time until one of them chose to do something the others wouldn't approve of.

When Luffy had heard of Sabo's bet, he'd been torn. It didn't sit right with him to take the freedom of the choice from these people, but at the same time he knew he'd have to go along with the deal for the exact same reasons Ace had mentioned.

Yet he liked quite a few members of Francis' crew, the captain included. He couldn't force them to join when he wanted them to choose it for themselves.

"There it is!", Ace shouted and covered the remaining distance to one of the few trees which grew on the rocky, infertile island with a short sprint. It was indeed the bright orange fruit with the strange, swirly pattern that Luffy had briefly seen in the arena at Dressrosa.

Ace touched it almost reverently as if he was afraid it'd disappear again, before promptly plucking the fruit from the branch, grinning broadly. Sabo returned the smile briefly, but his expression turned quickly serious again, their situation clearly still bothering him. "I guess we'd better head back, then," he said quietly.

Luffy watched Sabo with a worried look as they started walking again, his decision cemented by his brother's guilty expression. "We're not going to make them hold up their end of the deal," he stated with a firm voice, drawing questioning glances from both Ace and Sabo.

"We knew from the start that they didn't stand a chance to win the bet," he elaborated, "so I think they should be free to choose if they want to join us. I'll tell them once I've beat them up a bit." A wide grin stretched over his face, already anticipating the coming fight.

Sabo had left Francis the freedom to decide which one of the brothers he wanted to fight against. Unsurprisingly, he had chosen Luffy, the youngest and presumably the weakest, though he did so with an almost guilty look on his face.

He'd soon see that he'd put his proverbial money on the wrong brother. Currently, Luffy dared to claim that he was the strongest of the brothers, since Ace hadn't eaten his fruit yet and Sabo still lacked proper equipment. Plus, the Gomu Gomu no mi greatly boosted the strength of his attacks, easily compensating for his young body.

"You think anybody would willingly call three kids their captains?", Sabo asked sceptically, though he didn't seem inclined to protest Luffy's suggestion much.

"Not all of them, of course. But the ones that matter will!", Luffy cheerfully exclaimed, thinking of the serious captain, the gleeful cook and the clumsy cabin boy. He'd spent the last few days getting to know the members of the crew, and he knew that despite the circumstances and the initial hostility, he'd grown on most of them. He couldn't help but wonder whether they'd even have the heart to really attack him.

Ace smiled softly, the Devil Fruit clutched tightly in his hands. "Let's try it Luffy's way, right, Sabo?" The blonde still seemed to have some doubts about the proposed course of action, but in the end, he nodded reluctantly.

The three spent the rest of the walk in silence, the tension palpable in the air. It bothered Luffy, particularly since their relationship had so rarely been strained before. Sure, they fought all the time, their strong personalities clashing more or less beautifully whenever they didn't see eye to eye. But never had they been so quiet, their discontent going unvoiced as if all of them were trying to ignore it.

It had never been like this on Dawn Island. They'd all been so happy there, simply enjoying each other's company, their worries so far away they might as well not exist. It might have been a bit boring, and Luffy had ached to finally return to the sea where he could never know what to expect, but it had been a safe environment.

Now, they had set sail, but it wasn't at all like they'd imagined. They had to leave in a hurry without even a chance to say good-bye to Makino and Dadan. Who knew if they'd ever return to their first home?

Luffy was used to jumping into situations head on without a plan. However, even he knew that a little more planning would have gone a long way, if only to provide Sabo with some peace of mind. Their 'plan' only stretched as far as getting the Mera Mera no mi, everything else was still written in the stars.

As they reached the part of the beach where their ship was anchored, Luffy put on his treasured straw hat and let it shadow his eyes. He'd have to talk to his brothers about what was bothering them later. This sudden unexplainable rift between them was unbearable.

First, though, he had a bet to win. Just as Francis stepped forward from the waiting crew, Luffy left his brothers behind, continuing to walk until he stood directly in front of the captain who was at least twice as tall as him. The serious expression on his face was replaced by a broad grin as he looked up at the man. "Let's fight!"

Francis looked at him blankly, and for a few seconds, Luffy thought he'd back out, after all. Overcoming his hesitation, though, the man nodded and motioned for his crew to come forwards, taking a few steps back himself to give Luffy some room to fight.

The sight on the beach must have looked ridiculous to the oblivious onlooker. A group of more than twenty grown men, drawing their weapons on a small child who just grinned back without moving even a centimetre. Seconds turned into minutes without either of the opponents making a move to attack, until Luffy sighed in annoyance.

"Are you going to attack me now or not? If you want to give up, that's okay, too," he said with an innocent smile.

Francis' expression was carefully controlled now, but he motioned for his men to attack. Luffy couldn't help but notice that not all of them had followed the captain's orders. Francis himself had kept back for now, observing his men as they started their assault.

It almost felt like they were moving in slow motion. Not all of them were bad fighters per say, but Luffy was simply used to another level of fighting. He couldn't help but think that he wouldn't even need to use his Devil Fruit to win this fight as he dodged out of the way of the first blade, grasping the pirate's arm and throwing him into the next assailant.

He weaved through the first ten pirates as if he were a leaf in the wind, changing his path as soon as there was the slightest breeze. A well-placed punch here or there had all of them indisposed in just about a minute.

As the last of the men fell to the ground behind him, Luffy looked at the remaining pirates with a small smile as he took in their astonished faces. He was standing much closer to them now than before, only a quick jump separating him from their captain. "Come on, then," he challenged, his grin broadening.

Almost as if he was their captain already, they responded to his command, jumping into action without exchanging words between them. Francis and his first mate Goode took the front lines, both drawing daggers and swords respectively. They fought like a well-oiled machine together, taking turns at attacking Luffy and watching out for possible counter-attacks.

So far, Luffy'd remained on the defensive, though, blocking each of the blows with his Haki-coated forearms. While those two were keeping him occupied, the rest of the group had snuck behind him, probably planning to surround him from all sides. Most prominent amongst them was their best sniper, Ivy, who'd drawn both of her guns now, clearly intending to shoot Luffy from behind while he was distracted.

Unfortunately for her, she had no knowledge that Observation Haki even existed. Before she'd even fired the shots, Luffy knew where she was going to hit, jumping up high with a hand on his hat to avoid all incoming attacks. For a second, he was tempted to end the fight with his Gomu Gomu no Gatling, before he remembered his silent oath not to use his Devil Fruit against them.

As such, he ended back on his earlier spot, his enemies either stunned by his inhuman jump or taken out by friendly fire. Only ten of them had remained standing.

Before they ended in yet another stalemate, Luffy sprung into action, for the first time taking the offensive during the fight. He started with the snipers, even though they couldn't technically harm him since his rubber body was immune to bullets. Of course, they didn't know that, so they'd continue firing at him and consequently hit some of their allies when he inevitably dodged. If Luffy was the one to take them out, it would result in fewer heavy injuries.

One after another, his opponents fell before him, neither of them having had much of an opportunity to recover from the shock. Finally, only Francis and Goode stood before him once more, their faces grim. Luffy stopped his ceaseless attack, looking up at them with a soft smile. The entire fight, he hadn't once lost the grin on his face.

"I think I'll like being your captain," he stated proudly, having seen their potential first hand now. They were not unlike the Straw Hats had been in their first months together: A fairly close-knit group, some fighters more talented, others less so, but all of them eager to defend their crew.

Francis and Goode didn't take too kindly to his statement, both of them snarling as they threw themselves into a last, desperate attack. Their speed had significantly increased from before, blows raining down on Luffy from practically all sides as they danced around him.

Luffy was on the defensive again, but only after a few minutes he could feel their moves getting slower and more sluggish, exhaustion setting in bit by bit, no matter how much their minds refused to give in. Goode was the first to give him an opening, a quick kick to the stomach sending him flying, blood dropping from his mouth as he landed on the ground.

The defeat of his partner had Francis faltering, too, but he refused to let himself be distracted. If anything, his attacks intensified again, occasionally trying to back up a bit to throw a knife at Luffy from afar. Luffy gave him no opportunity to catch his breath, though, pursuing the captain each time he attempted to retreat.

The fight came to an abrupt end without Francis ever managing to graze Luffy's skin. After a decisive blow, the captain landed on his back, gasping for breath. He didn't attempt to stand up again, even though Luffy was pretty sure he might have still been able to fight.

For a while, Luffy just watched as he lay there on the floor, panting heavily, staring up to the cloudless sky. Around him, a few of his crew members started to stir again, looking at their captain in sorrow as they recognised defeat.

At last, Luffy stepped closer to the former captain, offering him his hand. The man eyed it warily at first, but decided to take it in the end, accepting the help in sitting up. "You fought well," Luffy said cheerfully. "If you want to, we'd be glad to have you as our first mate!"

Francis glared at him in annoyance. "Do I even have a choice?" Luffy resisted the urge to frown, having expected such a bitter response immediately after defeat, especially since the man didn't think he had any options left.

"Of course you have," he said with a serious expression, "all of you do. We're not going to force anyone to join our crew, especially since the bet was unfair. All three of us knew you had no chance of winning. So we won't hold you to it."

As Luffy turned away to walk over to his brothers, who had now come closer to the scene as well, Ace added quickly, "We'd like to keep the ship, though."

Contemplative looks were on each of the crew's faces as Luffy reached his brothers. "Tell us tomorrow what you've decided. We'll take those of you who don't want to stay to the next island after that," Sabo finished, before the three brothers headed back to the ship, leaving the pensive men behind.

xXx

"We need to talk." Both Ace's and Sabo's eyes turned towards their little brother in surprise, watching him as he closed the door to their cabin behind them. Sabo's mind filled with dread as he took in the serious expression on Luffy's face.

He knew both of his brothers were mad at him for making all the decisions without asking them for advice. For years, he'd talked them into staying at Dawn Island, talked them into waiting just a little bit longer so they'd actually stand a chance out there. And then, when he'd finally seen that their time there was over, he'd made them leave in a hurry.

There had been no creepy tearful goodbyes from the mountain bandits, no cautioning hugs from Makino, no disappointed scolding from the mayor. Their departure had been disturbingly quiet, only a short letter penned by Sabo would let their part-time caretakers know where they'd disappeared to.

It wasn't like Sabo'd wanted to deprive them of the opportunity bid farewell, but he'd been worried that Francis might take off without them if they took too long, leaving them stranded on the island until another suitable ship came by. The option to take a fishing boat and to simply hope all would go well hadn't seemed very appealing to Sabo.

The real mistake had been the bet, though. Sabo knew that now. The only thing on his mind had been to make up for the rash departure, to save themselves from the precarious situation they were in by securing a ship and a crew.

Besides, he'd been doing the crew a favour as well, hadn't he? If they'd headed into the Grand Line without their intervention, they'd probably have been slaughtered for their delusions like so many other crews before them.

He sighed and clenched his jaw as he sat down on his bed, crossing his hands as he looked down to the floor. "Yeah, I know." He really had to stop thinking like that. Sometimes, like this time, his good intentions ran away with him, leading him to make decisions for other people as if he knew better. Maybe he did occasionally. But he still had to remember not to simply take their right to choose for themselves using that excuse.

Ace sat down on the bed next to his, looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face, the Mera Mera no mi still in his hands. Sabo had expected him to eat it immediately after Luffy won, but so far, it remained untouched. Now, the elder raven carefully place it on Luffy's nightstand, looking incredibly pensive.

When had Ace gained that look on his face? Now that Sabo thought back over the last few days on the ship, he realised that Ace had often looked lost, staring into the distance for ages without voicing his obviously deep thoughts.

Sabo looked back at Luffy who still stood in front of the closed door, his expression incredibly worried as his eyes darted from one teen to the other. They were horrible big brothers. Both had been so occupied with their own thoughts and, in Sabo's case, regrets, that they needed Luffy to point it out to them.

Ashamed, he turned his gaze back to his hands, his thumb lightly tracing the thin lines on his other hand. "I'm sorry," he finally brought out, almost choking on the words even though he meant them. "I'm sorry for making you leave Dawn, and I'm sorry for making that stupid bet. I shouldn't have done all of that without asking you first."

By now, Luffy'd left his position at the door, plopping down on the ground between the beds the two brothers currently occupied. "Don't be stupid, Sabo. We both wanted to leave Dawn Island, you know that. And the bet will turn out just fine."

The words from his little brother hardly reassured Sabo, though. "I still should have talked to you about it first. We've always planned on becoming captains together, and I don't want you to think ... I'm not trying to take control or anything, I swear!"

Sabo's gaze turned towards Luffy, his voice full of the despair he'd been trying to hide the last few days. Sharing responsibility turned out to be much more difficult than he'd anticipated. From the start, he'd acted like he always had, making decisions for their group without realising he was taking away their equal right to do so.

Was their dream doomed to fail from the beginning? Would they be unable to sail with one another just because Sabo was unable give them the credit they deserved? After having spent nearly four years with his brothers, the thought of separating again to go their own ways seemed unbearable.

"You're being ridiculous, Sabo," Ace cut through the haze of his thoughts. "You don't need to apologize for making decisions. If all three of us are supposed to be captains together, we're bound to make choices not all of us agree with. There's not always the time to sit down and talk through our options. So stop wallowing in self-doubt, please."

Sabo looked at him insecurely, remembering how they'd both voiced their displeasure over one of his decisions just an hour ago. "But what are we going to do if this happens again? We need to find a way to deal with our disagreements or we won't last long out there."

Luffy poked his thigh from the floor to gain his attention. "You worry too much, Sabo. We can't plan for every time we fight. That takes all the fun out of it."

"I might worry too much, but you clearly worry too little," Sabo mumbled, shooting his little brother an incredulous look, even though he was long since used to Luffy's attitude to approaching problems. "Maybe we can, I don't know, take turns at being the captain?"

"But I'm going to be the Pirate king! I can't not be the captain on some days, Sabo," Luffy whined, causing Ace to chuckle.

"He's got you there, you know. Besides, that would never work. Luffy decides what to do on a whim, he won't suddenly follow your orders just because you're the captain of the day."

"It was just a suggestion," Sabo huffed. "Do you have any better ideas? Because I couldn't come up with anything, and I've been wrecking my brain for days."

Ace shrugged in response. "Sure. If we have time to plan or it concerns something major, we talk about it before we choose. If we don't, we'll just have to live with whatever one of us decided to do." He said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world, causing Sabo to gape at him incredulously. Had he even listened to Sabo before? What if one of them made a choice the others couldn't live with?

Before he could voice his concerns again, though, Ace continued, "If that's not good enough for you, we can always give Luffy the final say. I mean, he is going to be the Pirate king someday, right?" Luffy nodded enthusiastically at those words.

"You'd follow our little brother's orders?", he asked, disbelief colouring his voice. It wasn't like he thought that Luffy made bad decisions, really, just that he tended to go with his gut feeling. It might almost always be right, but it still seemed dangerous to give him the absolute authority over their course.

"You wouldn't?", Ace countered, effectively evoking feelings of guilt at his own doubts. "I think it's our best option to be honest. We might be able to be captains together, but I doubt we can share the Pirate king's title. Not that I even want it, mind you."

"We could just agree not to be mad at each other!" Luffy exclaimed cheerfully, beaming up at the two of them, no doubt encouraged by Ace's words.

Sabo smiled softly down on his little brother. He only wished it could be that easy. But they couldn't know now if one of them wouldn't screw up so badly at some point that the others couldn't forgive.

Suddenly, his eyes widened as realisation hit him. God, how dumb was he not to see it sooner? He started chuckling self-deprecatingly, earning himself questioning glances from Ace and Luffy. "I really am a stupid big brother," he sighed, letting himself fall back onto the bed. "I guess I still have some left-over guilt from our last life to work through, too. I never did forgive myself for not being there at Marineford."

A stunned silence followed his words, broken a few seconds later as Luffy jumped up onto his bed, landing with his knees next to Sabo's head. "But, Sabo, that wasn't your fault! You couldn't remember!"

Sabo sent a weak smile to his little brother, but contradicted his words. "I couldn't remember because I decided to set sail without you when I was ten. It might have seemed like my only option back then, but it was still a bad decision and cost me valuable time and memories with you two."

Ace joined them on Sabo's bed now, sitting down on his blonde brother's other side, a tiny frown on his face. "You know we've never blamed you for that, right? Besides, I think if you'd shown up at Marineford, too, I'd have had a heart attack," he attempted to joke, but his hands trembled as they always did when the war came up.

"We're both pretty screwed up, aren't we?", Sabo quietly said to Ace as he took hold of his hands, squeezing them reassuringly. All three of them had been through so much, and only Luffy seemed to be able to handle it properly. Only Luffy kept the promise he'd made with Ace – to live with no regrets.

"Yeah, I guess we are." Ace sent him a wry but thankful smile. It only lasted for a few seconds before the smile turned hesitant. "Otherwise I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even be considering this. I want to know what you think about it before I make my decision."

xXx

Icy blue eyes scanned the endless ocean before them, the water sparkling beautifully in the bright sunlight. The only break in the monotone yet strangely enchanting view was a group of fairly small islands, growing larger with every minute that passed, the wind blowing in their favour.

Confident that he still had quite a bit of time until they reached their destination, Finn leaned back against the mast in the crow's nest, closing his eyes and enjoying the sunny warmth on his skin, tanning it even further.

His life sure had taken a strange turn. Four months ago, he'd still been living a boring, predictable, but very safe and most of all sane life in his village. The greatest excitement he'd known there was the occasional brawl in the tavern, or, even more rarely, a pirate ship docking for a raid or a simple supply run, depending on their luck.

He could still hear his parents' voices in his ears, telling him to find a good job, to get a nice wife, to have beautiful children, and he hadn't even been all that opposed to their dreams. Except he really didn't know what this good job was supposed to be or where the nice wife he'd marry was hiding.

At seventeen, he'd become something of a running joke in the entire village. All other teenagers his age had been taken on as apprentices by the various masters, learning and improving their skill every day while he sat around being indecisive. Soon, his parents' hopeful and proud glances turned to disappointment when they didn't think he was looking, clearly wondering where they'd gone wrong.

Each day, he'd tell himself that now was the time. This was the day he'd make his choice. This was the day he'd decide on the course of the rest of his life. But in the end, he always lay in bed with a hollow feeling in his chest, eyes staring blankly into the darkness of the night.

Then, four months ago, there was that day. The day he'd never be able to forget in his entire life even if he tried.

It started with excitement and ended in anxiety. It started with the arrival of a pirate ship, sending the entire village into a frenzy until it turned out they were only here to stock up on their supplies. It ended with Finn hiding in their storage room, adrenaline coursing through his veins as his brain screamed at him not to be so recklessly stupid.

Yet it seemed that just with his decision to finally do something, no matter how badly thought-out and risky that action was, Lady Luck was gracious enough to favour him for once. The pirates welcomed the foolish stowaway in good humour, even offering to take him back to his island. His hasty refusal and subsequent stuttered begging to be allowed to join the crew was met with laughter until they realised he was actually being serious.

It took him quite a while to convince his captain, but eventually, he became the officially youngest member of the crew. There was a lot of teasing, drinking and training, his crew mates more or less enthusiastic about having a newbie on board. But even more than two months later, Finn was still questioning his decision, having never managed to really take to the life of a pirate.

A little over a month ago, everything changed again. Whether it was for better or worse, Finn was still torn over.

"Ne, Finn, whatcha doing up here?" A cheerful voice brought him out of his reminiscing, but he didn't bother to open his eyes to see the broad grin to his right.

"Enjoying the feel of the sun on my skin," he answered indifferently, knowing that his moment of peace was now definitely over. Not that he really minded much, since thinking too much was always a bad thing, especially during a fight.

"Why're you just lying around for that? You can feel the sun while you're eating, too, you know." Finn stretched and yawned, not bothering to answer the question, since judging from the footsteps, Luffy's attention was already elsewhere again. "Hey! That's Conomi Island! We're almost there!"

"Yeah, I guess we should get down now," Finn said as he saw that the island was indeed close enough that he could make out buildings without using a telescope. They were sure making good headway today.

"Nah, let's stay up here, Finn, pleeeeease?" Luffy's dark eyes resembled those of a puppy as he whined, melting Finn's heart even further though it was already reduced to a puddle of chocolate just by Luffy's presence. The kid was just so sweet! How could anyone ever say no to that face?

With great effort, Finn resisted the urge to cuddle the life out of him by reminding himself that he was a pirate now. Pirates didn't like cute and fluffy puppies, they kicked them. Finn nodded firmly to himself before jumping up, fully intending to join his captain like a good pirate would.

His plan was, unfortunately, foiled by the slippery ground, his right foot losing its hold and sending Finn backwards down the mast. So this was it. Finn closed his eyes, sending a silent apology to his parents for dying in such a pathetic way after he'd broken their hearts.

Except the fatal impact never came, something wrapping around his traitorous foot probably a second before his death. Hesitantly, Finn opened his eyes to see worn brown boots in front of his nose. "The ground slippery again, huh?" Finn cringed at the gleeful look on Goode's ugly mug, the loud 'Shishishi' from above hardly making his situation any better.

Fortunately, he was spared the embarrassment of not having an adequate response ready, since Luffy's usual rebound hit in. Unfortunately, being transported by the rubber brat also spelled an uncomfortable landing. Well, at least he could now confidently say that he knew the mast intimately.

"Ouch ...", he mumbled, touching his aching forehead experimentally only for a spike of pain to shoot through his entire body. "Hey, Captain, I'll go see Beckett now. Don't fall off the ship." No, he was definitely not being a hypocrite.

Through skill and probably quite a bit of luck, Finn made it back to the deck in one piece. Ignoring the no doubt completely unnecessary comment from Goode, he trudged to the infirmary, already dreading the scolding that was sure to follow.

Steeling himself, the coal-haired young man pushed open the accursed door, the handle already fitting perfectly into his hand after four months of almost daily visits. "Hey, Beckett. You busy?"

The stocky man in his mid-forties looked at him over the rim of his thin glasses, exasperation written all over his face. "Yes, actually, I am. I'm writing on my essay right now. Wanna know what it's about?" Finn nodded warily, not sure how to handle the almost cordial treatment. "100 ridiculous ways to get hurt on a pirate ship. Also known as a study of Finn the fool."

"Well, you can add kissing the mast by rubber recoil," Finn mumbled, plopping down on the patient's seat and regretting it immediately as his head complained. The doctor just sighed in response, slipping into his gloves and started with examining his eyes.

The two quickly fell into their routine, which mostly consisted of Finn following Beckett's instructions before he even gave them while listening to the man's annoyed ranting about his clumsiness with half an ear. It wasn't his fault that he'd recently hit a growth spurt! So what if his body was taking almost half a year already to adapt to the new height?!

"Well, I'd say take some painkillers, take it easy and get a good night's rest, but we're attacking Fishmen today, so you can probably scratch the 'take it easy' part," Beckett finally grumbled, pulling his gloves of with a snap and spreading disinfectant over his hands. "Out of all the foolish things those brats could come up with ..."

Finn quickly swallowed the pills, hoping they'd kick in soon. As Beckett had just reminded him, he'd need to be in top form today, to show his captains that the month spent training was not wasted on him. That even though he had no experience or skill to boast with yet, he was full of potential waiting to be unleashed.

When he returned to the deck, the entire crew minus Dante and Beckett, who wouldn't be taking part in the attack, was already there, staring ahead at the huge building which had appeared in Finn's absence. 'Arlong Park', it said in big fancy letters, the entire complex giving off an air of extravagance.

It was the most impressive building Finn had seen so far, although that probably said more about how isolated his life in the village had been than about the beauty of the Arlong pirates' base. No matter how provincial it made him feel, Finn let his eyes roam eagerly over his surroundings as he'd taken to doing whenever they arrived at a new island, taking in the coastline, the plants, and the giant sea cow with his captain on it.

With a dubious look, Finn stepped closer to Zandra, never taking his eyes off the bizarre sight. "Why is Luffy riding a sea cow?"

The tall woman with the long, emerald green hair shot a disinterested glance first towards Luffy, then back to Finn. "Why does Luffy do anything?", she countered, before turning her attention back towards the gun in her hand, probably to do some last minute preparations.

Though disappointed at being blown off so quickly, Finn resisted the urge to pout and instead meandered towards the front of the ship, picking up the crude staff he'd trained with along the way. So far, Finn was quite happy with his choice of weapon, but he knew he was still miles behind the level of skill Sabo, his trainer, displayed whenever he fought with his pipe.

He hesitated only briefly before stepping up to join Ace and Sabo, who were leaning against the railing at the front, knowing all three brothers didn't care much for the formalities the title of the captain came with. They preferred to be on an equal footing with their crewmates, though everyone naturally still had to follow explicit orders from either of them.

At first, it had seemed impossible to accept three kids as figures of authority, especially since Finn was used to being at the bottom of the pecking order because of his age. He'd been understandably unsure whether he should take them up on their offer to join their crew, his entire world view having been turned upside down by those ridiculously overpowered boys.

Many hadn't been able to handle the defeat at the hands of a ten-year-old. In fact, most of the crew had decided to start over at the next island, unable to bear the humiliation. Only seven members had chosen to stay in the end, with Finn being the last one to make his decision.

He'd debated endlessly with himself about what to do. It had been his pride which had finally won out over any arguments about how the trio was too young to call themselves pirates, let alone captains. If Finn had decided to start over at the next island, he'd have basically been back to the beginning. The crew members he'd gotten along with the most had all chosen to join the ASL pirates, so it would have been unlikely that he would have started a new crew with the left-overs. He would have had to admit that becoming a pirate had been the wrong choice.

It was ridiculous that it actually bothered him so much. Considering how indecisive he'd always been, how he'd always questioned any plan until he'd talked himself out of it, he should have expected and easily accepted that his first rash decision would be a failure. But for some reason, he wasn't willing to give up on piracy yet.

The large and very closed gate before their ship caught his attention, causing him to look at the two brothers beside him with a questioning glance. Ace had moved onto the figurehead, a white tiger, his signature crooked smile on his face, his hand catching fire and rapidly expanding.

"Hiken!" The heat of the attack was intense enough for a few beads of sweat to appear on Finn's face. He briefly wondered if he'd ever get used to Ace's and Luffy's abilities, not to mention all the other Devil's Fruits' users out there.

The gate didn't stand a chance against the brute force of Ace's assault, pieces of stone and half-molten metal crashing into the yard. Immediately, people came streaming out of the building, joining those who'd been outside at the moment of the attack, all of them staring dumbfounded at the destruction.

"Bye, Mohmoo!", Luffy shouted from his new position next to Sabo, waving goodbye to the sea cow who seemed to be in an incredible hurry to get away from there. For a second, Finn wondered if he should ask the creature for a lift, but he was a courageous pirate now. He wouldn't run away from a fight, even if he might be outclassed.

Besides, he didn't know how to speak with a sea cow.

"What is going on here?" A gigantic blue-skinned man with a really strange nose stepped out of the shadows, followed by three equally weird looking pirates. So those were fishmen. Finn wasn't really sure what he'd expected, but it had been more along the lines of male mermaids, not actual men who had some of the physical qualities of various aquatic animals.

"Hey, Long-nose! We're here to kick your ass!", Luffy shouted cheerfully from his position, jumping up and down to reach above the railing. Ace continued to stand on the figurehead, flames still dancing over his raised fist, probably in an effort to appear intimidating, which was unfortunately destroyed by the fact he was only fourteen years old.

While Ace and Luffy proceeded to exchange insults with Arlong, Sabo turned towards the crew who'd come closer to the scene of action as well. "Alright, guys, here's the plan. Ace, Luffy and I keep the masses contained while you five take on the leaders. Francis, you take their captain Arlong, Goode, you get the swordsman – that's the one with the six arms, by the way. Finn, you'll fight against the big, pale one – he looks like he prefers close combat. Zandra will back you up. And Ivy, you take –"

"The one with the weird lips," the short woman interrupted, already seizing up her opponent, "because he looks like he can cast long range attacks with those." She placed her hands confidently on her hips just above her guns, any traces of her usual quiet shyness gone.

"Exactly," Sabo continued with a small smile. "This is a trial run for the Grand Line, guys. Give it all you've got." With those words, the blonde captain turned his attention back to his brothers, Finn quickly following his lead. The two had jumped off the ship already, making short work of Arlong's troops. "Right. We'd better get going," Sabo sighed. "Why can't those two just follow my plans?", he mumbled under his breath, setting off after Ace and Luffy.

Finn steeled himself as he landed on the ground, giving Zandra some time to catch up before he headed towards his opponent. Francis and Goode had already engaged their opponents, leaving the other two fishmen to switch between watching the fights and keeping an eye on the approaching trio.

Ivy threw Finn one last, encouraging smile before drawing her guns and dropping into a run, firing a couple of well-aimed shots at her target, who evaded with skilled twists and side-steps. In doing so, Ivy had manoeuvred herself between the remaining two pirates, giving Finn an optimal opening to begin his own attack.

Only a few seconds after the fight had started, Finn could already tell that he was hopelessly outmatched. His erratic hits and occasional kicks lacked any sort of pattern, which might have given him the advantage of being unpredictable. Unfortunately, his opponent was clearly a master of a martial art, boasting a solid defence which nullified any chance of Finn landing a hit.

The disdainful look on the fishman's face made it clear that Finn was only being humoured, and that his patience probably wouldn't last long. When Zandra, at last, saw an opportunity to support Finn, she fired a shot which actually grazed the fishman's skin, a furious expression appearing on his face.

The moment of triumph Finn had experienced as he saw Zandra's success quickly turned into fear as his opponent started a relentless counter-attack, the black-haired boy only barely managing to avoid the incoming blows. His desperate evasive manoeuvers only bought him a minute at most, however, until the fishman broke his staff with a first and pushed him strongly in the chest with a second hit, sending Finn flying backwards only inches in front of the pool.

"And you really thought you could defeat us? Tch," the fishman spit as he very slowly and menacingly approached the downed boy who was still gasping for the air that had been knocked out of him by the impact. "You're inferior in every way. It will be a mercy to end your miserable existence."

He didn't get a chance to follow through on his promise, though, Zandra drawing his attention by firing a few shots which all unfortunately missed. His expression turned even angrier if that was possible, setting after the sniper with a few long leaps. Desperately, Finn tried to stand up, to stop him, but he couldn't even pull himself into a sitting position, his probably broken rips impairing his breathing significantly, sapping his strength with the barely bearable pain.

By the time the fishman reached his crew mate, Finn had only managed to turn slightly to the side, watching with wide eyes as Zandra hastily tried to hit her opponent with a shaky hand. He could do nothing as he saw her fail, the shots missing their target without him even making any moves to evade.

"N-no ...", Finn stuttered as he tried to draw himself up, tears springing into his eyes as both his chest and head complained at the effort. He refused to give up, though, getting into a kneeling position with his hands supporting part of his body's weight, a metallic taste in his mouth. A wheezing cough wrecked his body, his hand stained with blood much to Finn's disgust. He was too weak. He couldn't even do the one thing he'd been entrusted with.

He couldn't bring himself to look up, knowing that he was already far too late to save Zandra. Pressing his eyes shut, he tried his best not to break down crying, at least, refusing to prove himself even weaker in the last few moments of his pathetic life.

The fatal blow never came, though. Instead, a slender arm wrapped around his waist, drawing him to his feet with astonishing strength. Forcing his eyelids open again took more of an effort than Finn would ever want to admit, darkness teasing his mind with the promise of blissful nothingness.

"Don't faint on me yet, cabin boy, we need to get you back to the ship," his saviour said with a snarky voice, proceeding to more or less drag him along with her. With his bleary vision, Finn managed to recognise the crew mate he'd failed, still very much alive much to his relief and confusion.

"H-how –", he choked on the blood in his throat, throwing him into another coughing fit, Zandra barely supporting his weight as his knees gave out again.

"Sabo saved me. Now stop asking stupid questions when you can't talk," she snapped, trying to drag him back to his feet. Finn tried, he really did – however, his body didn't seem inclined to listen to him anymore. The last thing that registered in his conscious mind was someone taking a hold of his other arm. But just as he turned his head, darkness suddenly claimed him.

xXx

Nami stared at the destroyed complex in disbelief, nails digging deeply into the tattoo on her arm. The wall surrounding Arlong park had mostly remained in tact, only the gate opening to the sea was in shambles, obviously the victim of an explosion of some sort. The tiled floor was cracked all over the place, another sign of the intense battle that had to have taken place there only recently.

The building itself had suffered the brunt of the destruction, though. Debris littered the ground around it, parts of the building occasionally collapsing in on themselves while Nami stood there as if lightning had hit her. The entire two upper levels were completely missing, probably spread across the yard by now.

What on earth had happened here? Who had been so insane as to attack Arlong and his pirates? They were incredibly strong, so much stronger than anyone else Nami had ever met, strong enough that not even the Marines had tried to attack them during the last two years.

The question which occupied her the most was just who the victor in this battle had been. Had these people pushed Arlong off his throne to give the island back their freedom? Or would the fishmen only be replaced by a worse pirate crew, one that was capable of destruction of such a scale?

Finally, she took a few hesitating steps into the yard, determined to get the questions to her answers, no matter how risky it might be. The first thing to catch her eye was a ship with a fearsome white tiger as a figurehead, anchored at the entrance from the sea, taking up the majority of the space there.

Her observation immediately had her faltering again, stopping her slow approach. The people who did this were still around! Who knew what they'd do when they found out that she was a member of Arlong's crew, too?

"Hello, there, young lady," the calm voice to her right left her frozen to the spot. "Are you from the nearby village, perhaps? Might you be willing to tell somebody to call the Marines so they could pick up Arlong? I would do it, of course, but I'm afraid with my occupation, my call would be ill-received."

When Nami turned her head, eyes wide with fear, a rather bizarre sight was offered to her. In the shadow of the wall, only a few feet away from the gate, there was a man, sitting at a large table which Nami had never seen anywhere in Arlong park before. Countless papers filled with neat, black scribbles were spread all over it, along with a couple of maps which looked distinctly familiar to her.

As if the sight of a study in the midst of all the debris wasn't strange enough by itself, the man who had addressed her didn't look any more normal himself. It felt like he was completely lacking in colour – his hair was white as the freshly fallen snow she'd read about but never seen for herself so far, his skin incredibly pale with a light pink tinge to it. Despite the fact that they were partially hidden by his glasses, the most eerie sight were his eyes – instead of the usual brown, blue or grey you'd usually expect to look at, his eyes had a distinct reddish tint, even affecting the normally black pupil.

If he was bothered by her staring or her lack of response, he didn't show it apart from a tiny sigh that escaped his lips, turning his attention back to his papers. "Would you happen to know a thing or two about your former oppressors, at least? I'm trying to write our logbook, but I'm afraid I'm still missing out on some information."

At last, Nami snapped out of her stupor, guessing that she wasn't in any immediate danger from the presumed pirate who twirled a gigantic eagle feather quill in his fingers. Hesitantly, she stepped closer to the table, worrying her lower lip. "You defeated Arlong?", she asked in a small voice, the tiny flame of hope at the sight of the destroyed complex burning a bit brighter.

"Oh, no, I didn't take part in the fighting," the man said without taking his eyes from his papers, shuffling them around in a way which probably only made sense to him. "I'm just the navigator. One of my captains, Luffy, did."

A tiny, relieved smile appeared on Nami's face, tears rolling down her face as the realisation set in. She was free. There was no need to start going on her own tours, to try and steal treasure from people who probably couldn't afford to part with it either. She wouldn't have to become like those she hated the most.

"Hey, Dante, we're setting off soon." A boy maybe a little older than herself stepped in front of the table, looking at her with sympathetic eyes, though Nami could barely even see him through her blurred eyes. "Really, what did you do to make her cry?"

"Huh? Oh, my, did I?", the navigator's voice sounded distracted, but Nami's gaze rested on the teenager who was approaching her now, awkwardly patting her back in a comforting manner. Her sobs hitched a bit at the contact, and without any conscious decision, she threw her arms across his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

The boy had gone stiff at the sudden contact since he probably hadn't anticipated her actions. Once Nami had a grip on her emotions again, she could feel her face heating up, burning with embarrassment as she quickly let go off him, looking at his equally red face with mortification.

"Erm ...", he stuttered, obviously at a loss at what to say in this situation. He wasn't even wearing a fucking shirt. Nami cursed herself for eyeing his toned torso, and then proceeded to curse him internally. As if it wasn't bad enough that she'd hugged a stranger, no, he had to be half-naked while she did so, too!

"Thank you," she quickly said, pasting a fake smile on her face to cover up her embarrassment. He probably hadn't had much to do with the victory over Arlong considering his age, but that didn't matter right now, as long as she could somehow find a subject to talk about. "For getting rid of Arlong, I mean. He's been terrorising our village for years."

"Do you know the names of Arlong's officers, by any chance, young lady? I only have the name of the one with the long lips, Chew, since he was allegedly very talkative before Ivy defeated him." Nami's gaze snapped back to the self-proclaimed navigator, looking at her expectantly with his unnerving eyes. The man really didn't know how to read the atmosphere, did he?

"It's Nami," she answered without thinking, before realising that he might misinterpret that answer. "My name, I mean. But I know the officers' names, too, if you really want to know."

With no small deal of apprehension, she watched as his face turned almost hungry, the knowledge clearly worth a great deal to him for whatever reason. She suppressed the shark-like grin as she realised she might actually have some leverage she could use to ensure the village would go free. "I might consider telling you all about them, but only if you tell me what your plans are."

Dante, as she now remembered the boy calling him, looked at her with surprise on his face, then shrugged indifferently. "I honestly don't know our plans, besides the fact that we're headed to the Grand Line. You'd have to ask the Captains," he answered, pointing at the boy who was still eyeing her with a mix of embarrassment and sympathy.

"There are no plans besides heading to the Grand Line and making Luffy the King," he deadpanned, finally letting her out of his sight as he stretched and yawned, turning around towards the ship. "Anyway, Dante, don't take too long with the interview. You did say you wanted to set off before night fell."

The man only waved him off hastily, the boy – captain? – strolling back to the ship at a leisurely pace. "Well, now you know our plans. Could you perhaps tell me about the octopus fishman, first? What –"

"He's your captain?", Nami interrupted, incredulity colouring her voice. That boy had barely been any older than her, and yet he was already the leader of his own crew, much less one that had managed to defeat Arlong? Surely, that was impossible.

Dante looked at her for a few long seconds, annoyance at being interrupted written all over his face. "Yes, Ace and his two brothers, Sabo and Luffy. It took some getting used to, but those boys are doing exceptionally well, if you ask me. Which you did. Anyways, if we could get back to the topic –"

"But he's just a kid! How could they have possibly beat Arlong, if they're all just kids?" Especially since she was just around their age, apparently, the whole situation seemed all the more surreal to Nami. Arlong had always been a giant to her ever since he'd killed Belle-mère, an unbeatable nightmare she would never be able to escape from.

"Listen, Nami, I know this has surely been a very emotional day for you," Dante said, none of the sympathy of his words showing on his face, his tone impatient despite their content. "But I really want to finish my log before we set sail, which means I barely have twenty minutes left as it is. So if you could quickly answer my questions, you can head on board and bother them with your questions. Alright?"

Nami glared at him for his rudeness, briefly contemplating throwing a fit just to spite him. In the end, however, she decided to simply answer his current of questions, since he had been quite helpful already.

At last, the man dismissed her, allowing Nami to make her way towards the ship. She'd always thought that she'd be more excited at meeting a fellow navigator, someone with experience, but Dante was so deeply buried in his notes that he probably wouldn't have even acknowledged her presence if she hadn't had valuable information for him.

Looking up to the railing of the ship, Nami hesitated for a minute. Should she really go on board of a pirate ship willingly? If Ace and Dante were the rule, she shouldn't have anything to be afraid of, but she also knew that her curiosity could easily get her killed. It wasn't like she absolutely needed to know the man – boy? – who'd defeated Arlong.

However, the decision was taken out of her hands as a red blur jumped over the railing and knocked her to the ground. Slightly dazed, she sat up, supporting her torso with her hands, only to see a broadly grinning boy sitting at her feet, a worn straw hat on his head.

To Nami's embarrassment, Ace and another boy followed soon after, bonking their brother on the head. "Idiot! How many times do I have to tell you? You can't just rocket into people like that!", Ace shouted, the younger one responding by sticking out his tongue.

A pale hand entered her field, the blonde boy offering his help registered in her mind shortly after. "Sorry about that. Are you alright, Nami, right? I'm Sabo," he said, smiling politely at her as if he wasn't a pirate. What the hell was up with this crew?

Despite her confusion, she accepted his help, getting back onto her feet only for the third boy to jump her again, engulfing her in a bone-crushing hug. Did his arms just wrap around her torso more than once? Before Nami could make sure she wasn't hallucinating, however, the kid grinned up at her. "Ne, Nami, wanna join my crew?"

"Let go of her, Luffy! You're suffocating her!", Ace screamed at his little brother again, his expression furious. Nami felt like he was exaggerating a bit since she was having no trouble breathing, but she didn't protest. It was a rather uncomfortable position she was in right now.

Just as Luffy reluctantly let go of her, her brain scrambled up to what Ace had just said, her eyes going wide as she saw the youngest boy in an entirely new light. "You're Luffy? You're the one who beat Arlong?" This was ridiculous. They had to be lying to her.

"Yeah! But Naaamiii ... join my crew! Please! Join my crew, join my crew, join my crew!" The kid was jumping up and down excitedly, Nami growing dizzy just by watching him move. How much sugar had he eaten today?

"Shut up!", she finally shouted, hitting him on the head as hard as she could, her patience finally worn out. Almost immediately afterwards, she froze, her mind catching up to her actions. She'd just hit the person who'd allegedly defeated Arlong. And even if they were lying, as Nami was still convinced, they were at least part of the crew which had beaten the pirate.

To her surprise, though, none of the boys were making any move to attack her. Luffy was pouting adorably at her, but at least he'd finally stopped talking. Ace blushed almost immediately when she caught his eye, causing her face to redden as well while she desperately tried not to think about the 'moment' the two had shared before.

"Ne, Luffy," the blonde, Sabo, whispered conspirationally at his little brother, "Ace looks like he does when he's talking to Makino, don't you think?" While Nami didn't know who this Makino was, she really didn't like what Sabo implied, especially when Ace's blush darkened even more, before he scowled furiously.

"Sh-shut up, Sabo!" With that angry shout, Ace launched himself at Sabo, the two fighting at a speed Nami was unable to follow. At some point, there was a loud crash at the building, another round of debris falling down in a flaming rain.

Before she could even begin to comprehend what had just happened, Luffy tugged at her hand to gain her attention again, looking surprisingly serious. "It's okay if you don't want to join today, Nami. I'll just come back in a couple of years and ask you again." He paused, before smiling up at her gently. "Do you have a dream, Nami?"

Something in his expression made Nami pause. If he'd asked that innocent question just a day ago, she would have been able to answer without hesitation. More than anything, she'd wanted to see her village free again, even if that free life was one without Belle-mère. But then, she had a feeling that that wasn't the kind of answer Luffy was expecting.

Suddenly, the books and the maps from years back, when she'd just barely been able to read and write, sprang to her mind, a tiny, nostalgic smile gracing her face. "I want to draw a map. A map of the entire world!"

The grin she received from Luffy in return was almost blinding. "Shishishi! That's perfect for the navigator of the Pirate king! We'll have lots of adventures together one day, you'll see!"

xXx

Captain Smoker strolled through the bustling street at a leisurely pace, moving from the harbour towards the centre of the city as he'd taken to doing every day since he'd accepted his new position at Logue Town.

By now, he'd been here for multiple months already and was quite satisfied with his results, so far. When he'd arrived, the Marine base there had been a mess of incompetence and corruption, testing his patience on more than one occasion.

The pirates had basically run amok in the city, the marines allowing them to do whatever they liked as long as they didn't do too much damage and put some shiny coins into the right pockets. It was disgusting, really – men like these were no better than the pirates they claimed to be fighting.

These days, however, he was proud to say that Loguetown had once more become a city that pirates sought to avoid. Sure, there was a foolish and over-confident crew about every week, stomping into the city with the grace of an elephant, marching towards the execution platform of their own free will to proclaim their intention of becoming the king of the pirates. As if any of those idiots would even stand a chance in the Grand Line.

None of them had even put up a proper fight, completely overwhelmed at the prospect of fighting against a logia. It was a somewhat unfair advantage in the Blues, where Haki could just as well be mistaken for some type of food considering how few people had ever even heard the word.

Smoker himself was still unable to use it, having never had the patience to sit through the both mind-numbing and gruelling training sessions. He was a man of action – if he was meant to master those esoteric techniques, he was sure that he'd manage to unlock them in a battle at some point, anyways.

The crowd parted in front of him, the people sharing a feeling of respect and fear of him that he was still having a hard time getting used to. Sure, he'd never deny that he was merciless when it came to dealing with the scum of the world, but he'd never seen himself as a particularly cruel or frightening man. On the contrary, it had been his goal to appear approachable to the people, so they'd rely on the Marines to solve their problems instead of searching for their own, most likely illegal methods.

However, that was clearly still something he'd have to work on. He sighed tiredly as he saw a mother ushering her child inside as she saw him coming. Sometimes, he really didn't get people. When had his actions ever implied that he'd treat the citizens he was tasked to protect badly?

He pushed his deep, self-reflecting thoughts from his mind as he neared the plaza, though, since a marine soldier was already hurrying to meet him halfway. It appeared that his break was now officially over.

After quick salutes were exchanged, Smoker gestured at the gasping man to stop wasting his time. "Sorry, sir, but we have a problem at the execution platform," he brought out while still breathing heavily, obviously unused to the exercise. It seemed like that was another thing Smoker would have to improve.

For now, though, there were more important things to take care of. "Again?", he asked, walking towards the plaza at a brisk pace, not even waiting for the soldier to answer his question. It seemed like it was one of those days again – the days were some idiotic pirate had the idea to improve his chances of becoming the King by starting his journey through the Grand Line at the same spot the last one had lost his life.

Smoker could still remember the day as if it were yesterday. The day the Pirate King Gold Roger had been executed. His mother had forbidden him from leaving the house, understandably worried that some of the King's powerful crew mates might try to save the man from his death. Smoker, back then only twelve years old, had disobeyed his mother in a fit of teenage rebellion, sneaking out to watch despite the danger she had warned him about.

He'd never regretted going against her wishes that day, as he'd born witness to the birth of a legend – the legend of One Piece.

This time, as he reached the plaza, there was no giant procession of Marines, no security besides the few soldiers who were stationed around the 'monument' day and night. Right now, they were occupied with trying to convince the offender to climb down from the platform, going as far as to threaten the kid.

Frowning, Smoker stepped closer to the platform, the crowd which had gathered to watch the spectacle quickly parting way for him. For once, he was thankful for that reaction, fully taking advantage of the fear he seemed to inspire in people without trying.

Coming to a stop at the base of the platform, Smoker looked up at the face of a teenager, fourteen, maybe fifteen years old. His dark hair almost reached his bare shoulders, swaying in the gentle breeze. A bright orange cowboy hat was perched on top of it, a happy and a sad smiley adorning the hat band.

He was kneeling at the exact same spot as the Pirate King had all those years ago. Whether that was intentional or not, Smoker couldn't tell, but all of a sudden, his stomach was churning, a deeply unsettling feeling spreading through his mind.

Very soon, he recognised the source for his uneasiness. Whenever he'd been called to the plaza on duty, he'd had to deal with pirates seeking to make a name for themselves by abusing Gold Roger's place of death. This kid, though, was just kneeling there, staring into the distance, silent tears streaming down his face.

This was out of the norm. It wasn't part of his job description to comfort little brats, no matter how much his heart went out to them. For whatever reason the boy had chosen this very public place to show his grief, it wasn't any of his business. He was only responsible for making sure the peace of Loguetown remained undisturbed.

"Oi, kid," he shouted with a loud, but calm voice, "you can't sit up there. This is a national monument. I'll have to ask you to get down from there." It seemed to take a while for his words to register with the teenager, but eventually, he closed his eyes briefly, before looking down at Smoker with surprisingly intense eyes, any trace of the tears gone.

"This was the place the Pirate King died," he said with a quiet, yet somehow strong voice. The entire attention of the plaza was focused on the boy now more than ever. "Gol D. Roger." He looked up to the cloudless sky at the name, a gentle smile on his face.

Smoker's expression, on the other hand, went from calm to shock in about a second as he heard the Pirate King's real name. Not many used it any more these days, the significance of the D having completely disappeared from public knowledge. And even those who knew to fear the cursed letter had no idea what it actually meant, besides trouble.

So how did the kid know that name? More importantly, why did he use it right now, in front of all of these people? "Oi, brat," he shouted again, but before he could instruct him to move again, the boy stood up on his own, raising his fist which promptly turned into fire.

A few people around him screamed in fear, the boy suddenly presenting a level of threat nobody had accounted for prior to that. Despite his own state of surprise – the kid was a fire logia, after all – he quickly motioned the men around him to get the public out of there, or at least out of his range of fire. All the while, he kept a close eye on the teenager, preparing to move at any point. With his powers, he was the only one who might be able keep him contained if he decided to attack.

The boy grinned broadly at their frantic reaction, his fire fist expanding rapidly. Yet somehow, the sight of the fire wasn't what unnerved Smoker the most. No, it was the smile – that same carefree, cocky, dangerous smile he'd seen on that man's face more than fifteen years ago.

As if to confirm his fears, the boy finally opened his mouth again, his voice carrying over the entire plaza. "My name is Gol D. Ace," he proclaimed loudly, his grin widening if that was even possible, "and I think it's about high time that someone took this place down."

And then, the execution platform went up in flames, taking the Pirate Prince's future with it, whether he knew it already or not.

xXx

 _A/N: I hope you enjoyed the second chapter! Be sure to let me know what you thought! Your positive comments really encouraged me and motivated me to type even faster!_

 _To answer a few questions from the comments:_

 _1) It should be obvious after this chapter, but only Ace, Sabo and Luffy have memories of the previous time line. None of the other Straw Hats do._

 _2) As such, it will still take a while for the Straw Hats to join my story more permanently, since most of them are just kids right now. They wouldn't be able to keep up with what the three brothers are going to do._

 _3) There is no particular reason why Luffy met his father early. That simply happened because I thought it would be both interesting and plausible. It's well known that Dragon was in Goa kingdom during those days, but they simply didn't run into each other the last time around. Since nobody could possibly remember where they were at any day in their lives, I thought that it would make sense for Luffy to be at a different place than in his first life, coincidentally running into his father._

 _Well, that should cover most of what I wanted to say (unless I'm having a fit of amnesia), but if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask! Comments and PNs are always welcome._


	3. Welcome to the Grand Line

**Chapter 3: Welcome to the Grand Line**

Francis yawned deeply and stretched his aching muscles as he wandered out on deck, the morning sun tinting the sky in a beautiful rosy tint. His face turned into a grimace as his neck complained, the wound from Arlong's sharp teeth still not fully healed.

That fight had sure been a hard one. Tenderly he touched the sensitive scar tissue, wondering how much longer it would take until it would finally stop giving him trouble. He only wished he could say that he'd paid Arlong back for his pain tenfold.

But unfortunately, he'd been no match for the fishman. If Luffy hadn't come to save him, Arlong probably would have bitten his head clean off. And that was a gruelling image Francis sure hadn't wanted in his head this early in the morning.

"Still sore, huh?" Francis' eyes turned from the horizon to the boy who was leaning against the railing not to far from him, drinking massive amounts of water from his bottle. A few quite impressive weights were littering the ground around him, clearly already used this early in the morning considering the beads of sweat on Finn's forehead.

"Yeah." He paused, looking at the last member to join his former crew worriedly. "You're up early again."

But Finn just shrugged in response, either not noticing or ignoring his concern. "Couldn't sleep. So I figured I might as well do something useful." He lifted the bottle to his lips again, before sitting down on the floor cross-legged, picking up one of the bigger weights around him with his right hand.

Ever since the fight on Conomi Island, Finn had become extremely driven, training almost day and night if nobody forced him to eat and sleep in between. Francis could somewhat understand him – after all, he'd been beaten pathetically as well, and they hadn't even arrived in the Grand Line yet.

Hearing just how weak they were in comparison to the monsters out there had been one thing; seeing it with his own eyes had really driven the point home, though. The boys might have backpedalled after the fight, saying that they hadn't really expected them to be able to match Arlong and his officers since they'd apparently sailed in a Shichibukai's crew once. Still, the sheer difference in skill and strength frightened Francis to no end.

If he'd been a lesser man, he might have turned tail and returned to his old crew, staying in the East Blue were he could safely claim to be one of the strongest. Yet despite his fear, he couldn't help but feel exhilarated at the same time. There was so much out there in the world which he hadn't seen, and he himself still had so much potential that had yet to be awakened.

So he'd stepped up his training regime as well after his injury had healed enough. But in comparison to Finn, it almost looked like he was only lazing about. The boy's obsession had already paid off, his formerly lanky build filling out rather nicely with taut muscles.

Still, Francis was worried. If the boy continued like that, he would miss out on the life he trained so hard to become strong enough for. During the last few weeks, he'd barely talked to anyone outside of training spars. During meal times he often gobbled down his food as fast as he could, back out of the door before some of the others had even started on theirs.

Francis liked to think that he'd been a good captain. He might only be the first mate now, but nevertheless, he felt responsible for the wellbeing of each and every one of the crew's members. Determined, he stepped closer to his former cabin boy, taking the weight from his hand with quite a bit more strain than he wanted to admit and pulled Finn up with the other.

"Hey! What are you doing?" the other indignantly asked, trying to take back the barbell which Francis quickly put onto the ground before he dropped it.

"Come on. Let's go get some breakfast," he responded, pulling the protesting teen towards the kitchen and dining room.

"But Goode only went there, like, half an hour ago! The food won't be ready yet!" Francis only rolled his eyes at the whining, refusing to let Finn escape from his iron grip no matter how hard the kid was trying to break out of it.

"I don't care. You're taking a break today," Francis said in his captain voice, making it very clear that he would allow no back talk this time. Unfortunately, Finn didn't quite seem to realise just how seriously the first mate took his crew mates' mental stability.

"What? No, I can't! You can't make me! I have to –"

"The only thing you have to do," Francis interrupted his frantic ramblings with a firm voice, "is relax. Relax and give your mind the chance to catch up to what's been happening to your body. It's quite normal for a teenager to be confused by the changes, but you're on a somewhat fast track right now. And –"

"Oh, I'm so not having this talk with you!", Finn cut in this time, his face glowing bright red as he finally won back his hand, rubbing the sore wrist with his fingers. Francis was having none of it, though, grabbing the teen by his shoulders to prevent him from leaving.

"And," he emphasized, "you need to come to terms with your defeat. It's always painful to admit that you're not as strong or as capable as you want to be yet, but the first time is the most difficult. So you need to deal with it, not run away from it."

Finn tried to shake him off, head tilted to the side to avoid looking at him. "I am dealing with it! I'm training so it won't happen again! I won't let this happen again!" There were tears in the corners of his eyes, but the boy sure had grown tougher since Francis had first met him, his cheeks staying dry despite the distress he was clearly experiencing.

"You're training so you don't have to think," he countered, his voice hard as he knew that Finn needed to hear this. "That's not dealing, that's running. Take this opportunity and grow in the face of adversity, not just physically, but mentally."

Finn was still avoiding looking at his former captain, his mentor, his idol, but at least he wasn't protesting anymore. Sighing, Francis let go off him, motioning towards the door they'd stopped in front of. "Now come on, let's go bug Goode."

Without waiting for the boy, Francis pushed the door open, knowing that Finn would need some time to calm down. As expected, Goode was fully immersed in his work in the kitchen, flipping pancakes expertly in the pans, not looking up for a second to greet his best friend.

Knowing better than to disturb him whilst cooking, Francis headed towards the fridge to pour himself some fresh orange juice into a glass. It had become a force of habit ever since he'd founded his own crew, the sour juice turning into Francis' elixir of life not unlike coffee was for other people.

Leaning against the counter after taking a sip, Francis watched Goode as he bustled through the kitchen, a content feeling spreading through his body. He loved these rare moments when he could simply stand around doing nothing but enjoying the company of the people he'd chosen for his family. Nothing could trump the feeling of home, certainly not the excitement of battling and exploring, though he wouldn't want to give up on that either.

"Think the kid'll listen to you?" Goode suddenly broke the silence while he was chopping strawberries into tiny pieces. It always was like this when Francis watched him cook – at some point, Goode would break the silence, basically giving his friend the go ahead to distract him.

"I should have known you'd listen in," Francis grumbled without any heat, taking another sip from the fresh juice. It wasn't like him to keep secrets anyway, least of all from Goode. Besides, the cook usually had some good pieces of advice when he decided to take things seriously.

Throwing a glance towards the door, still unopened, Francis continued, "I really hope he does, anyway. He's been too grim recently."

Before Goode could respond, however, a peculiar sound filled the room. "Purupurupuru ... Purupurupuru ..." Immediately, both pirates' eyes fell onto the small snake on the shelf, before looking at each other, fighting a silent war with their glances.

At last, Francis sighed and walked towards the Den Den Mushi, wondering who could possibly be calling them. The three brothers had brought the snail along with them, after all – as far as he knew, they were the only ones who could have given their number to anybody. And who knew how crazy their acquaintances might be?

After gathering his resolve and his nerves for a second, the former captain took the speaker into his hand, cursing himself and his captains for the irrational fear even everyday actions now evoked in him. Talking to a stranger really shouldn't cause quite as much reluctance as it did now. "Hello?" he asked in an even voice that did not betray his inner turmoil.

The snail was silent for a moment, before a suspicious voice came out of its mouth. "Who is this?" Francis bristled at the rude tone, but fought his indignation bravely. The caller had probably expected one of the brats, so hearing an adult's voice was bound to raise some concern.

With that thought in mind, Francis introduced himself calmly. "This is Francis, first mate of the ASL pirates. Who might I be talking to?"

Again, the snail stayed quiet for a while, its large eyes staring blankly at him. When it started speaking again, the voice consisted of a strange mix between annoyance and amusement. "The ASL pirates, huh? How creative. This is Luffy's father. Be so kind and get the brats, would you?"

Now, it was Francis' turn to gape at the snail. "What?" The both impolite and unintelligent response escaped his mouth in his shock. Luffy's father? Somehow, it had never crossed his mind that one of the kids besides Sabo might still have family considering that they were apparently living in that trash heap unsupervised. On the other hand, he hadn't really been there long enough to run into their guardians.

"I said that I'd like to talk to my sons," the man repeated frostily, his words ringing with an implicit threat. Suddenly, Francis' mind jumped back to the scary and impossible strength the three boys had demonstrated. If that man really was their father as he claimed to be, just how dangerous would he turn out to be?

"Right, err," Francis stuttered, motioning towards Goode, his friend immediately heading out of the door without protesting. It seemed Francis wasn't the only one unnerved by the thought of getting on their captain's father's bad side. "Our cook will go get them now."

"Good." The snail fell silent after the curt response, its watchful eyes the only indication that the other man was still waiting on the other end of the line. After a few seconds already, Francis had to work very hard not to start fidgeting at the discomfort of the situation.

"So, err," Francis finally broke the silence, unable to bear any more of it, "did they run away from home or something? Because I swear, I only took them off the island because they paid me to do so. I didn't ..."

"Oh, I know you didn't kidnap them," the man interrupted the first mate's somewhat frantic ramblings. "They're quite a bit stronger than anyone the East Blue could offer, and I'd know if a foreigner had entered the country."

The voice paused again, but before Francis could really come to dread the possible quiet again, he continued, "I've been expecting them to set sail at some point, anyways. I'd have preferred it if they'd waited for a couple of years, but well. It's not really any of my business. However, ..."

The man clearly knew how to talk to people, how to leave them in suspense, hanging on each of his words. Though that was hardly surprising if one had fallen victim to his son's charisma as Francis had. "Have you read today's newspaper, by any chance?"

The news? "No, I haven't, actually. It's still pretty early in the morning, so the News Coo hasn't come by yet," he responded, wondering if he should start avoiding those birds now, as well. Had the three boys managed to catch the attention of the news already?

"Hey, dad!" Finally, Francis was saved from the decreasingly uncomfortable conversation as Luffy came skipping into the room with the ever-present grin on his face, immediately heading for the half-prepared food despite Goode's protests. The other two boys were following closely behind, Sabo taking the speaker out of Francis' hand.

"Hello, Dragon. How's the revolution going?" the blonde asked in a cheerful voice, without a doubt not oblivious to his two gaping crew mates. Dragon? As in Dragon the Revolutionary? The man who gave the government enough trouble to earn himself the title of 'The Most Wanted Man'? That was Luffy's father? Seriously?

Well, for someone who had a bit of hands-on experience when it came to Luffy's strength, it really shouldn't come as a surprise that his father was a monster as well. In fact, he should have long since run out of the feeling in its entirety. Yet the boys never failed to evoke that emotion all over again, be it their strength, their apparent experience and now their lineage once again.

He snapped back to attention as Ace took the speaker from Sabo. "Yeah, I'm here. What do you want?" he asked in a rather rude voice, the fondness from the other two brothers mostly missing for some reason.

"I think you forgot to tell me something when we met," Dragon responded in a strange tone Francis couldn't quite manage to decipher. Was he pissed, worried or sceptical? Or did the two simply share a relationship of mutual dislike?

A devilish smirk appeared on Ace's face, the boy practically glowing with delight. "Made the first page, did I?" Oh, yes. Apparently, newspapers would be detrimental to Francis' mental health from now on, too.

The snail sighed heavily, though its expression was anything but surprised. "Yes, you did. It's true, then?"

Ace's expression turned from mischievous to indignant. "Of course it is! I wouldn't lie about this, especially knowing the consequences!" Maybe obliviousness wouldn't save Francis, after all. Whatever the kid had done to get himself onto the first page, it would apparently have repercussions. Knowing his recent stroke of miserable luck, the whole crew would likely be involved in the backlash of the mischief the boys had gotten into now.

Thankfully, it was at that moment that Finn decided to finally grace them with his presence, a disturbed look on his face and today's newspaper in his hand. "I think you should see this," he said to no one in particular, though his eyes kept flitting to Ace after he'd put the paper on the table.

'A monument destroyed! The devil's son?' Underneath the sensational headline, there was a picture of Ace, though his features were a bit difficult to distinguish due to the flames surrounding and partially enveloping him. He admittedly did look a bit evil with his broad smile in the face of the destruction he'd caused.

Before he could start to read the article, however, Finn put a wanted poster above it. It was the same picture as the newspaper had printed, the name Gol D. Ace and the proud number of 50 million beri complimenting it beautifully.

Gol D. Ace. The devil's son. Was it too much of a stretch to presume that the Pirate King's name had been Gol D. Roger instead of Gold Roger? Considering just who he was dealing with, it probably wasn't.

He looked at each of the three boys, his gaze lingering on Ace a bit longer than on the other three, though he still hadn't gotten over the shock of Luffy's parentage. The youngest boy had stars in his eyes, snatching the wanted poster from Francis' grasp.

"You have a bounty, Ace! 50 million! That's so awesome!" he shouted, the grin on his face stretching beyond what should be humanly possible. "Just you wait! My bounty'll be a lot higher!" The older boy reciprocated his smile, finally taking hold of his own poster.

"Don't be in too much of a hurry to get a bounty, Luffy. You're just ten years old, you shouldn't be out on sea already," the worried voice from the snail cut in. Francis' heart went out to the man. He might not understand what being a father was like, nor did he think that Dragon was a normal father by any standards, but he still empathized with the fear a reckless child like Luffy had to cause his parents.

"I'm eleven, dad! My birthday was last month!" Luffy pouted adorably, looking at the snail with big eyes.

"It was? Time really does fly," Dragon responded quietly, his voice showing only a tiny hint of guilt. "Happy birthday, then, Luffy. And be careful, boys. Everyone's going to be after you now. If you ever need help, call me." Abruptly, the snail fell asleep, but Luffy didn't seem discouraged that his dad had so suddenly hung up.

Ace, on the other hand, glared at the inactive snail. "'If you ever need help, call me,' he says," Ace growled in a mocking tone, face drawn into a grimace. "He didn't even give us the chance to ask for it! What if we needed it right now?"

"Ace." Sabo shot his brother a warning glance, a silent communication taking place between the two until finally Ace huffed, crossing his arms and looking away from his brother petulantly.

"Whatever. It's not like we'll need his help, anyways." It was quite a bit annoying at times to be left out of half the conversation, but Francis couldn't help but feel fascinated at the same time. Did they communicate using Observation Haki (a concept he still couldn't wrap his mind around), having developed it to such a stage that that was possible? Or did they simply know each other so well that they didn't need to talk to know what the other was thinking?

Francis briefly considered asking, but resolved to save his curiosity for one of the next lessons, or for whenever he'd next catch Sabo alone. The blonde brother was the one most likely to give straight answers (provided that he felt like it), while Ace would probably have fun messing with his head and Luffy would tell him earnest but confusing truths that only ever made sense to the brothers.

"So it's true? You're Gold Roger's son?" Finn asked with wide eyes, finally bringing the conversation back to the original topic as Francis should have done immediately after Dragon had hung up.

"Yeah, I am." Ace eyed the three present crew members closely, obviously wary of their reaction. Maybe he did have some common sense, after all. Though why anyone with an ounce of intelligence would tell the world that they were related to one of the most despised people in recent history, Francis could only wonder about.

"Any other relatives we should know about?" Goode asked in a dry voice, slapping Luffy's hand away as he reached for the meat sizzling in one of the pans. A tiny (and maybe mildly crazy) smile found its way onto Francis' face, the ludicrousness of the situation prominent on his mind. Why did he decide to stay on this ship again? A runaway noble, the son of Dragon the Revolutionary, and the former Pirate King's son ...

"Well, there's the shitty geezer, I suppose. Calls all three of us as his grandsons, even though Luffy's the only one related to him by blood. Monkey D. Garp. He's a vice-admiral of the marines," Ace answered, scratching his head sheepishly.

Right. And fricking Garp the Fist. He was so done with his life. But at least he'd go down laughing.

xXx

 _Somewhere in Paradise ..._

"Purupurupuru ... Purupurupuru ..."

The hooded man's head shot up at the sound coming from underneath his cloak, immediately groaning from the sudden movement. Slightly confused, he looked around the pub, only to find it quite a bit more empty than he remembered it. A few sunrays illuminated the clean counters and tables through dirty windows, answering his silent question about the missing customers and potential gambling partners.

"Purupurupuru ... Purupurupuru ..."

Sighing, he reached inside one of his pockets, pulling out the offending snail which continued to inform him of the waiting call. Who in his right mind would call him so early in the morning? Everyone who'd spent more than a few minutes in his presence knew that he was anything but a morning person, and he only gave his number to people he considered his friends (or at least useful acquaintances).

Glaring at the Den Den Mushi in his hands proved to be ineffective, unfortunately, the caller obviously more persistent than his hangover, which was already fading quickly. Bless his hard-built tolerance against pain in general, but specifically against the after-effects of excessive drinking.

"Yes?" he asked in an annoyed voice when he finally picked up the speaker, his glare losing none of its intensity as he stared at the snail's open eyes.

"Ah! Ray! Finally! Good morning!" a frustratingly cheerful voice came out of the snail's mouth, far too loud for this time of the day. Clenching his teeth at the additional noise from the background, Rayleigh intensified his glare. "Ah, it is morning wherever you are, right?" the caller hesitantly added at the lack of response.

"If you're wondering whether I'll kick your ass for waking me this early, I won't. At least not within a month, brat," the Dark King grumbled, cursing his bad luck for having to deal with the exhausting redhead without any time to prepare (or to run in the opposite direction).

"Good, that's good, I think ... Wait! I have a good reason for calling, really, I do!" If Rayleigh weren't so annoyed with Shanks right now, he'd derive a vicious sense of amusement from the fact that he could still send the Yonko scrambling after all this time.

"Do tell," he deadpanned, though he did feel curious about just what had prompted Shanks to practically commit suicide by pissed mentor.

"I just read it on the news. Someone claiming to be the captain's son burnt down the execution platform in Loguetown." Though he talked in a calmer and somewhat quieter voice, excitement was still prominent. Rayleigh could feel his headache intensifying again.

Roger's son? After all these years? Of course, Rayleigh had heard of the searches the marines had conducted, looking for the potential new threat to their justice. He'd have been tempted to head to Baterilla himself, no matter the risk, if Roger hadn't told him that he'd taken care of everything.

And apparently, his best friend had once again not disappointed him. If the person from the news was indeed who he claimed to be, which he'd doubt until he'd gotten a good look at him.

"What do you think? Rayleigh?" Shanks' questioning voice shook him out of his musings before he could go down the sentimental lane, as he was always bound to do when he thought of his old friend. Those had been the good times, really.

"What's his name?" he asked, standing up from the table and stretching his old joints. He was itching to finish this conversation to head out and grab a newspaper himself, but for now, it wouldn't hurt to get some second-hand knowledge from the former cabin boy.

"Gol D. Ace. He's got himself a bounty now, 50 million beri." Rayleigh's eyes widened a fraction before a gentle smile appeared on his face. Ace or Ann. Maybe this kid (he couldn't be much older than fifteen if he was the real deal) actually was telling the truth.

"Well, the name's right, at least. But I'll reserve judgement until I've seen him for myself." The smile on his face broadened a bit. It appeared it was time to head back to Sabaody. After all, every decent pirate crew was bound to stop there at some point.

Besides, Shakky would undoubtedly be pissed if he extended his leave to a year.

 _At Marineford ..._

Monkey D. Garp was walking through the Marine Headquarters with brisk steps, one of his legendary fists clenched tightly in the pocket of his jacket. If one were to look at his ever-present grin a little more closely, one might have noticed that it lacked the qualities of a true smile, instead presenting the quite a bit grimmer image of viciously clenched teeth.

Ace. That stupid, reckless boy. What was he thinking? He'd been training him hard to become a marine, and what did that idiot do? Burn down the execution platform, as if that would do anything to change the past. Was he trying to kill himself?

"Do you think that I deserved to be born?"

A tiny flinch broke through Garp's usually unshakable mask at the memory of the emotionless face when the boy had asked this question. Despite the blank look, he'd appeared so hopeless, so defeated, as if he already knew that his life was on borrowed time.

Maybe he had known. Ace had always been so bright, much brighter than most people gave him credit for due to his brash and often thoughtless manner. But even if he were only half as intelligent as he was, it didn't take a genius to figure out just how much the world hated his father and by extension him.

Would Luffy some day ask him the same question, suffer from the same emotions as Ace did? Or would he be able to bear the knowledge of his father's identity better than his older brother had?

It was the main reason he'd refrained from telling Luffy about his parentage so far. He couldn't bear to see another child, another grandson, lose his smile when he was finally faced with the cruelty and injustice of the world. His heart crumbled to pieces at the thought of what Luffy would have to go through if anyone ever found out about his father.

Now, he didn't even need to let his imagination run wild. Now, the entire world knew about Ace's heritage – whether they believed it or not didn't really matter. Every single marine base, every commander, captain and soldier had been made aware of the Pirate King's supposed son, every available resource focusing on his capture.

Ace wouldn't stand a chance. His grandsons might have gotten very strong due to the training he'd put them through, but even if they were monsters compared to their peers, they wouldn't last long against the marine's might. Ace had basically signed his own death warrant when he'd stepped onto that execution platform.

Why would he do this? Try as he might, Garp couldn't begin to imagine what was going on in his grandson's head. The boy might have been the definition of self-doubt before he'd met Luffy, but ever since then, Garp had thought he'd gotten better.

If anything, he'd always considered him to be fiercely protective of his little brother. Yet now, he'd done the exact opposite thing and put the one person that had seemed most important to him into danger.

Had someone forced Ace to do this? He didn't know the boy to be someone who'd easily bow to threats, nor could he think of any profit to be derived from that revelation. Unless whoever was behind the scheme carried such a heavy grudge against Roger that he'd thought up an elaborate scheme only to torture the Pirate King's heir. But even in his head, this theory sounded ridiculous.

No, too much thinking would do no good in this situation, especially when he was clearly missing some vital pieces of the puzzle. What he had to do was find his grandsons and get some answers out of them, with his Fists of Love if they tried to resist.

The only problem left was how to convince Senny to let him go gallivanting around East Blue.

 _At Loguetown ..._

Smoker stared at the picture for what felt like hours, the thick smoke coming from his cigars not impairing the logia's sight in the slightest.

The picture was a good shot, he supposed. It made the kid seem dangerous, like a serious threat, with half of his features dissolved into flames. What remained of his face looked older than Smoker could recall, but he'd dare to presume that that discrepancy was intended. After all, the marines couldn't look like incompetent fools, setting such a high bounty on a mere child.

And didn't that put a scratch on his self-esteem? To say that Headquarters had been furious with him for letting the boy escape would be an understatement. Never mind that it hadn't actually been intentional on his part. The kid was ... crafty.

But no one seemed to want to listen to him. He was just a child, they'd say, his only power lay in the name he'd claimed, and maybe his Devil Fruit. Yet despite the fact that nobody seemed to consider him a threat beyond his purely symbolic value, the marines were mustering up everything and everyone at their disposal to capture him, likely neglecting their actual duties along the way.

Smoker deeply inhaled the smoke from his cigars, leaning back in his chair and glancing at the ceiling. This was going to end in embarrassment for the entire Marine corps, he just knew it. They were underestimating the brat because of his age, just as Smoker had done. And that had cost him his previously flawless record, though that was trivial in the grander scheme of things.

When Gol D. Ace had first announced his presence to the world, Smoker had pitied him. The kid had to have had a difficult life with that heritage hanging over his head. Not for a single second did he doubt that the boy was telling the truth, his grief, his attitude, his smile too genuine for it to be a scam.

He was probably only acting on the expectations of everyone around him, taking up his father's mantle, because what else was he supposed to do? Become a marine? The second anyone got an inkling about his heritage, he'd have been headed for the execution block.

Despite his own personal feelings about the situation, Smoker hadn't hesitated long. But neither had the brat. Much faster than he could comprehend, the boy was on the rooftops, jumping above the heads of all the people with two other silhouettes at his side. Smoker's efforts to follow them had been blocked by a wall of fire springing up in his way, the cocky smile once again popping into his head.

It was an incredible amount of control to have for a logia. The brat had already been halfway out of his sight when he'd worked his magic, an insane distance between the two of them. Yet apparently, the boy had managed to connect to the flames he'd left behind at the platform, and effectively stopped the captain's pursuit.

He couldn't bring himself to even try and deny that he was itching to meet the Pirate King's son again, this time properly. There was something about him – something all his superiors were still oblivious to. Smoker, however, was determined to find out just what his weird feeling was about.

Looking at the boy in the flames again, his mind was torn. If he left now, he could just as well kiss his job good-bye. After his report, it had been clear that only one toe out of line would be enough to get him demoted, if not dismissed instantly.

A light breeze grazed his neck, carrying the ever-present scent of the ocean with it. Smoker found his eyes drifting towards the window, towards the far horizon where the sea touched the sky.

Should he toe the line, or get rid of it entirely?

 _At Cocoyashi Village ..._

The piece of the tangerine she'd been eating was stuck in her throat, effectively blocking her airways. As Nami's face slowly turned blue, she started choking, trying her best to cough, her sister soon dropping the newspaper and rushing to her aid.

Finally, the cursed piece budged, a relieving breath of fresh air rushing into her lungs as she coughed heavily. "Oh my god, Nami, are you okay?" Nojiko asked worriedly, a comforting hand on her shoulder while Nami used the chair she'd been sitting on to support herself.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she wheezed, closing her wet eyes for a second to process the near-death experience. How ridiculous it seemed when only weeks ago she'd been afraid to be killed by one of the Fishman pirates. At least then, she'd have had a brave death worth writing about. But no, she almost got done in by a piece of fruit.

Opening her eyes, she glared at the offending tangerine which had tumbled to the floor during her struggle. She refused to die so pathetically, not when she finally had the opportunity to live her life the way she wanted to. Not when she could focus on her maps and her navigation for her own pleasure at last.

Warily eyeing the fruit, she picked it up, getting rid of the few specks of dirt before eating another slice. It wouldn't do to waste food since Nami and Nojiko were always tight on money, and if Nami ever wanted to become a navigator, that attitude might save her life on sea. Besides, murderous fruit or not, she could never give up on her favourite food.

Seeing that Nami was doing just fine, Nojiko walked back to her chair, starting to read the newspaper she'd gotten from Genzo with a frown on her face. Nami looked at her questioningly. Her sister had looked the same way when she'd gotten home only minutes ago. Had something happened? Seeing as Nojiko didn't react to her glances alone, far too immersed in whatever article she was reading, Nami posed her question out loud.

Looking up, she put down the paper, her serious expression easing a bit. "It's nothing that concerns us, really. But the Pirate King Gold Roger apparently had a son, and he attacked Loguetown yesterday," she told Nami, pushing the newspaper to her sister.

The first page in front of her, Nami stared at it for who knew how long, mouth open in disbelief, before finally gasping, "That's Ace!" Quickly, she grabbed the paper, skimming through the article, occasionally scoffing when the statements were particularly outrageous and unbelievable for someone who'd met the boy in person.

"Wait, you mean one of the kid pirates that defeated Arlong?" Nojiko asked disbelievingly, before adding with a more teasing voice. "The one that always makes you blush?"

Nami looked up from the text to glare at her sister while cursing her body for the traitorous heat on her cheeks. If only she could forget about that embarrassment. Before her mind could wander too far, though, she nodded, looking at the picture underneath the headline again.

She couldn't believe that he was the Pirate King's son. Sure, from what she'd seen during the brief fight with his brother, Ace was undoubtedly strong enough to stake such a claim, but still – she hadn't ever even heard that there was a son to begin with!

Her mind wandered to the other two boys. Did that mean they were related to Roger as well? Or was there something else at play? Surely Luffy, at least, wasn't old enough to possibly be Roger's son.

There was nothing she wanted to do more than to ask the boys herself, to find the truth for her own peace of mind, if nothing else. Suddenly, the years couldn't pass fast enough.

xXx

Reverse Mountain was a looming giant in front of them, the water glistering in the dim light of the sun. Thankfully, unlike last time he'd made that trip, rain wasn't pouring down on them, though the turbulent waves were still reaching higher and higher the closer they got to the entrance to the Grand Line.

Ace stood at the bow of their ship, the Tigris, a carefree grin on his face. This was it. Now their adventure would really begin. Now, the three monster children would enter the Grand Line, and they would be unstoppable.

It was as if a giant weight had been lifted off his chest. Ever since he'd climbed the execution platform in Loguetown, and, for the first time ever, shouted his parentage to the world of his own free will, he had been liberated. He was finally free of his biggest fear.

From now on, everyone he met would know just who they were talking to. There would be no more hiding, no more pretence, no dark secret that could get him killed if anyone stumbled across it. This time, he wouldn't bow down and beg for forgiveness for ever being born.

This time, he would sail as the Pirate King's son, and he would defy all their expectations. His smile widened a tiny bit. For now, he didn't have to be afraid of any serious retribution from the World Government and the marines, since everybody was likely still underestimating him. Besides a few hopefully interesting fights, he wouldn't be in any real danger until they got closer to the New World.

Depending on who they sent, it would surely take them a while to realise that he was a real, tangible threat, not just a symbol of the Pirate Age. By the time they did, he planned on having enough strong allies so their crew would persevere.

His eyes flickered up to the black flag streaming in the wind caused by the strong currents. It was very different from the childish ASL flag they'd been flying out of sentimentality until just a few days ago. But after the article in the newspaper, Ace had finally found the inspiration he needed to design their new mark.

In front of two crossed bones, there was a classic pirate skull, though it was adapted similarly as Luffy's had once been, the cheerful grin characteristic for all three of the kbrothers also visible on its visage. However, instead of a straw hat, a pair of twisted horns was growing out of its head. Underneath the laughing skull, there were the letters ASL (Ace couldn't quite bring himself to get rid of them entirely), all three of them now in the same bright red as Luffy's cardigan.

When he'd first shown the design to his brothers, they'd spent several minutes just standing there, gaping, unable to believe that Ace was even capable of drawing. If Ace hadn't been so proud of his accomplishment at the moment, he would have been insulted at some of his brothers' comments, but as it was, he couldn't bring himself to care.

Instead, they'd soon run out on deck excitedly, climbing the main mast and exchanging the flags quickly, their crew's bemused glances following their every move. When the wind was finally blowing in their favour and they caught sight of the piece of art, there had barely been a face that wasn't mirroring the skull's grin.

It had been Goode who voiced everybody's thoughts. "Well, you brats certainly came from hell. The Devil's spawn!" Secretly, Ace was hoping that the name would catch on. It was more than fitting and certainly more terrifying than the ASL pirates.

Since they were closing in on the entrance to the Grand Line, their ship accelerating as it got drawn into the current, Ace turned away from the panoramic view, walking towards the steering wheel manned by Sabo, his blonde brother following their navigator's direction.

It was a rare sight to see Dante standing outside during the day, the man's sensitive skin causing him to avoid the sun whenever possible. He was usually the one manning the ship by night, all the while drawing up new plans for their route so they'd have their instructions for the day.

Of course, once they got to the Grand Line, that would have to change. The weather there was so unpredictable they couldn't afford to have their navigator sleeping in his cabin when a storm could hit at any moment. For now, Ace and Sabo had agreed to take over his duties during the day, both of them boasting sufficient knowledge of navigating Paradise that they'd have no trouble filling that role. However, it went without saying that they still had some recruiting to do.

"Well, are we gonna make it?" Ace asked with his smirk still present, looking from Sabo, who was clutching his wheel tightly to maintain the course, to Dante, whose face was shadowed by the gigantic (and rather fancy) hat he always wore when the sun could still touch his skin.

"If my calculations are correct, and the execution is flawless, then yes, we will," Dante said in his usual absent-minded voice, eyes flitting from the sails to the waves to the mountain, probably taking in all sorts of clues Ace didn't even want to know about.

"If we don't, we can always destroy the Red Line," Sabo added in a dry voice, earning himself a dubious glance from Dante and a delighted one from Ace.

"I don't think that would be feasible, even with your strength, captain," the navigator responded, though his voice had a wary tint. His statement caused twin mischievous smiles to appear before him.

"That sounds like a challenge, doesn't it, Ace?" His bright orange hat, bought in Loguetown and decorated exactly like his previous one, shadowed his eyes a bit as he tilted his head, about to respond, when Francis came to join them on the quarterdeck, taking in their expressions with suspicious eyes.

For some reason, he looked straight at Ace, completely dismissing Sabo as if the blonde never did anything stupid or reckless. "Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," he said in a desperate, but also not quite serious voice.

"If you're thinking that we're thinking that the Red Line is a wall that has been separating seas for far too long, then you're thinking right," Sabo said in a tone that made it difficult to discern whether he was being sarcastic.

Francis paled drastically at Sabo's statement, looking from him to the still smirking Ace in obvious distress. "That's definitely not what I was thinking!"

"If that's not what you thought that they were thinking, what exactly did you think that they were thinking?" Goode asked with a calm voice, leaning against the railing leading up to the steering wheel, but there was a big, triumphant smile on his face as if he'd just won a price for thinking the most.

Francis glared at him, probably feeling betrayed by the lack of back-up from his friend. Nevertheless, he gave a perfect follow-up. "I thought that Ace was thinking that he could give us a boost with his fiery fists so we'd get up the mountain faster, and I definitely thought that that would be a bad idea since I couldn't help but think of the image of us splattered against the wall."

"That's why we were thinking that we'd just get rid of the wall," Sabo diplomatically finished, Ace barely holding in his laughter.

It was Dante who dealt the last blow, throwing disapproving glances at the small gathering. "There's way too much thinking going on here," he murmured, causing everyone to break down laughing. A tick mark developed on his forehead. "What are you all doing here, huh? Get down and work, bastards!" He shouted, punching Francis on the head.

Still laughing, they went back down to the main deck, leaving the navigator and his current aide Sabo behind to do the steering. Without further talking, they manned different positions on the ship, ready to jump into action should Dante call for it.

Ace headed back to the front where Luffy now sat on the figurehead despite the wind being strong enough to nearly blow him off. The force didn't diminish the excited smile on his face, his eyes sparkling with life and joy as he looked up at Ace. Reverse Mountain was directly in front of them, the current turning upwards only seconds later, Luffy tumbling from the figurehead into his brother, who was thankfully stopped by the mast.

Completely disregarding their crash, Ace wrapped his arms around Luffy while leaning against the mast, both of them looking into the sun as they rushed up the mountain. Even though Ace couldn't see his little brother's face, he knew that there was a grin at least as bright as the sun on his lips, surpassing Ace's only by a margin.

This was life. This was how everything was supposed to be. They were out on sea, had a great ship, a fantastic crew and soon, they'd be on the Grand Line. Oh, how he wished every day could be like this one, full of joy, mischief and friendship.

He buried his nose in his brother's wet and salty hair, laughter bubbling from his chest as Luffy screamed excitedly when they suddenly lost the ground underneath their feet, the ship having reached the highest point and now rapidly descending. With an audible splash, it landed back on the water, Luffy and Ace following close after with the sound of wood splintering, though thankfully, there was no big damage to the deck.

Scrambling to his feet immediately, Luffy ran to the railing, taking in the sight of the Grand Line from above. There was hardly anything to be seen but the endless ocean with a few spots in between, but still, Ace quickly followed him, a feeling of finally being home spreading through his chest.

"We're here, Ace! We made it!" Luffy screamed, laughing with incredible energy, the wind barely managing to diminish his voice. "Welcome to the Grand Line!" he shouted in such a volume they had to have heard it in Sabaody on the other side of the world.

At long last, the turbulent ride came to an end, the ship slowing down bit by bit before coming almost to a stop in front of the lighthouse. In front of it, there was an old man sitting comfortably in a lounger, newspaper in his hands.

Ace couldn't for the life of him recall having met anyone just after entering the Grand Line, but the old man looked so old that he'd probably lived here since before Ace had been born. But even the scrutinizing gaze he sent them couldn't diminish Ace's smile, his usual paranoia buried for a day.

"Oi! Flower-ossan! I'm Monkey D. Luffy! I'm gonna be the Pirate king!" Luffy shouted and waved, having obviously spotted the man as well. Ace couldn't help but giggle at his little brother's signature introduction. (Though if Sabo ever asked, he would vehemently deny it. Ace would never giggle like a girl.)

The man probably didn't know how to handle the energetic child, as he simply stared in response, his eyes widening a fraction. Then he stared. And stared. Just as it was about to get irritating, the man started talking in a slow voice. "It's very good manners to introduce yourself so politely. My name is Crocus, I'm 65 years old and I'm a doctor and the lighthouse keeper. It is a pleasure to meet you, Luffy."

Now it was Ace's turn to stare. And stare. And stare. Thankfully, Sabo snapped him out of it by poking his cheek, having apparently decided to abandon his position at the steering wheel now that they were in safe waters. "He said Luffy had manners. Sabo. Manners! Luffy!" His brain was close to breaking down, seemingly unable to connect these two complete opposites in his head.

Sabo looked at him in disbelief, his face mirroring Ace's inner conflict as turned to stare at the old man. Before he could voice his thoughts, though, Luffy interrupted their distress. "Ne, Sabo, Ace ... let's go to that island!" He shouted, launching them off the ship without giving them the chance to protest.

Despite knowing that it was futile to complain and that they'd survive the crash quite easily, being used to Luffy's antics, Ace screamed back at him against the wind, "Dammit, Luffy! I don't wanna die yet!" But he only received his brother's reckless laughter in return, which was promptly cut off when they put quite a dent into a piece of the Red Line, quite close to where the old man was sitting.

Sabo was the first one up, looking proudly at the destruction they'd caused. "That was brilliant, Luffy! A couple more of those and we'll really break the Red Line!"

Ace grumbled as he sat up, shaking dust and debris from his hair, barely resisting the urge to cough. "Don't you think you're taking this grudge a bit too far? What has the Red Line ever done to you, huh?" Sabo snickered, but gave no response, instead holding out his hand to help Ace stand up. Reluctantly, he grasped it, Luffy following quickly with an energetic jump.

A few steps later, the trio was standing in front of the old man, the man closing his paper slowly as he stared at them. And stared. And stared. This was really getting ridiculous. Remembering his words earlier, Ace cleared his throat, bowing briefly. "Hello! My name is Gol D. Ace, it's nice meeting you!"

He'd almost been expecting another round of staring, but apparently, his name was sensational enough to warrant an immediate response. "Yes, I thought that was you," he motioned towards his newspaper, which turned out to be the one from the day after his Loguetown excursion. "So you're the Pirate King's son, huh?"

There was a tiny amount of scepticism in his voice, but Ace wasn't bothered by it. Let them think what they wanted. He grinned broadly. "In the flesh!"

"Ne, Flower-ossan, you look ancient," Luffy suddenly proclaimed, jumping forward to support himself on the table next to Crocus' chair, leaning forward eagerly. "Have you always been here?" The man looked rather taken aback by Luffy's comment, causing Sabo and Ace to break down laughing. Luffy's straightforwardness was always so refreshing, especially during first meetings.

However, despite the indignant surprise he'd obviously experienced, the man smiled at the boys in front of him. And smiled. And smiled. Seriously, what was with that guy? Would it be too much to ask to run into a normal person for once?

"I'm Sabo, by the way, no fancy surname," his brother said drily, seeing as Crocus was taking his sweet time answering Luffy's question, if he intended to answer at all. The man nodded in acknowledgement, though his attention lay on Luffy, scrutinizing the boy, his eyes occasionally flitting to Ace.

Finally, Crocus decided to speak again, his voice still sceptical but also a little ironic. "So, you're the Pirate King's son," he pointed towards Ace, who nodded, "but you're going to be the next Pirate king?" All three boys nodded enthusiastically as he turned towards Luffy. "Let me guess, you're the captain, then?" he deadpanned while his next target, Sabo, grinned brightly at his exasperated face.

"Actually, all three of us are," he answered seriously, but he couldn't keep a straight face. It was the first time they'd ever introduced themselves like that and, objectively speaking, they were an insane trio. Three kids being co-captains on their own pirate ship? The Pirate King's son happily giving away the title some might call his inheritance? But after a while, one seemed to develop an immunity against such paradoxes, especially when you were their cause.

In the meantime, their crew had successfully docked, a fuming Francis stomping over to the trio, closely followed by the crew. "Oi, we're not your slaves, you brats! Don't just disappear from the ship and leave us with all the work!" Crocus stared at the newcomers. And stared and stared, something that Ace worked very hard to ignore.

It turned out to be easier than he imagined, thanks to Luffy distracting him. "Sorry! We're going to do it again!" The first mate sighed heavily at Luffy's innocent smile, but his endurance really was admirable. Ace hadn't thought that he'd hold up half as well when he'd joined.

Anyone else who'd thought of complaining was interrupted by an earthquake, throwing everyone to the ground but the three boys and Crocus, who was still relaxing in his chair, but now with a worried expression. A deep rumbling sound echoed through the air, loud and somehow emotional enough that it was almost as if you could feel it in your bones.

"What the hell ..." Ace mumbled, a hand on his hat as it threatened to fall of from the unexpected movement. There was a brief pause in the sounds and the earthquake, before it immediately started up again, even more intense than before.

"That's Laboon," Crocus said in a quiet voice, despite the noisy background easily heard. He'd gotten up from the chair and walked to the edge of his small island, looking at a shadow under the water Ace hadn't spotted before. "He's an island whale that was separated from his crew. Ever since they set out to conquer the Grand Line, he's been waiting for them, but it's been almost fifty years since then."

"Oh," Ace responded eloquently, at a loss of words as he stepped up to join the old man. Fifty years. That was certainly some incredibly loyalty for a human, not to mention a whale. "What is he doing?"

"He's ramming his head against the Red Line," Sabo stated from behind him, his eyes wide. "He probably thinks that his family is somewhere on the other side of it." There was a crestfallen atmosphere for a while, nobody saying a word as the tortured whale continued crashing against the wall, his desperate wails vibrating in the air.

"It's so sad," Luffy suddenly said, still in the same spot as before, his head shadowing his eyes. "He's singing all alone." Singing? Determinedly, the eleven-year-old boy looked up into the stunned faces of the crew, stretching his fist into the air. "This is your first order in the Grand Line! Let's make some music!"

"Huh?" the crew plus Crocus chorused, staring at Luffy as if he'd grown a second head. But when Luffy had an idea in his head, he was not to be deterred. Soon, an off-key version of Binks' Sake filled the air, making up for the wrong sounds with sheer enthusiasm.

At the end of the song, the gigantic head of the island whale was sticking out of the ocean behind the crying Crocus, finishing it off with its own loud voice. Before anyone could stop him, Luffy had jumped up onto Laboons head, crawling down so he was right next to his eye.

"Did you like that? It's my favourite song, you know?" The giant eye turned upwards towards the boy, staring at him almost tenderly. "If you wait here for us, we'll definitely come back and sing it for you again! We'll even have a proper musician, I promise!"

A loud, joyful rumbling noise answered Luffy's statement, the whale strangely almost looking as if he was smiling. As happy as Ace was that his little brother had apparently managed to help the gigantic animal, he was much more worried about said saviour, who was currently tumbling into the sea due to Laboon's movement. "Sabo ..." he started exasperatedly.

"On it," he responded, jumping into the sea, completely disregarding the strong currents the whale was causing. It was only fortunate that none of the other members of their crew had tried to save their captain. Sabo, on the other hand, would hopefully prove strong enough.

"That was ..." the old man was still crying, much to Ace's discomfort, "That was so sweet of him!" Having learnt his lesson from Nami, he did not pat Crocus on the back, instead giving him a piece of Goode's shirt to dry his eyes despite the cook's vehement protests.

After having gathered his composure, the doctor looked at Ace with a gentle smile. "You have no idea what this meant to Laboon! His former crew loved music above all else, the captain even told me that their singing was what had attracted Laboon in the first place. And Binks' Sake was the song they all cherished above all else!"

Ace smiled back at the man a bit awkwardly, unsure of what to say in the face of such gratitude. "That's Luffy for you," he finally brought out, grinning at the man brightly. It was really amazing how his little brother always knew what to do in such situations.

At that moment, Luffy and Sabo resurfaced, this time both on Laboon's head, laughing loudly. "You hear me, Laboon?" the blonde brother shouted, smiling widely. "You have to stop ramming the Red Line! I want to be there to destroy it with you!" Ace rolled his eyes at his brother's antics.

Crocus looked at them briefly, a strange expression on his face, before turning back to Ace. "If you'd come with me, Ace. There's something I'd like to give you."

"Err, sure." Though he was wondering a bit at the old man's behaviour, Ace followed him into the lighthouse quietly, pushing down his emerging suspicion. So far, Crocus had been nothing but friendly and grateful, if maybe a little eccentric. And that wasn't something they could very well criticise.

Once inside, Crocus offered Ace a chair to sit on next to the table, pressing a glass of fresh lemonade into his hand, before disappearing somewhere in the depths of his house. Sipping on the sweet drink, Ace let his eyes roam across the modest room. There was nothing really remarkable about it, besides the unusual amount of medical instruments and books littering the shelves.

To alleviate his boredom, Ace stood up, letting his fingers glide over the great variety of books, before grasping one of the journals. He leafed through it, not really intent on reading, just taking in the image of Crocus' messy handwriting, the topics ranging from Laboon to a group called the Rumbar pirates, who Ace presumed to be the crew that left the tiny whale behind. In between, there were various medical texts, their content going way beyond Ace's first-aid knowledge.

Upon opening the last page, though, Ace froze, his eyes widening. It was one of the diary entries which he'd completely skipped until now, respecting the privacy of the doctor's thoughts. But this ...

 _It is decided._

 _I had an unexpected visitor today, a pirate captain who'd heard of my medical skills. Having come down with an allegedly incurable disease, he wanted a second opinion, and an estimate on how much time he had to conquer the Grand Line. I could hardly believe my ears at his confidence._

 _Yet unfortunately, I couldn't dismiss his concerns. Untreated, I'd give him two years at most, and I told him such with a heavy heart. To my surprise, his smile didn't diminish, telling me that he'd already been prepared. And then, he offered me a spot on his crew, asking me if I could prolong his life for a little bit._

 _I've agreed, not only for this optimistic man's sake, but for Laboon's. Sailing the Grand Line is the only way to find out what happened to his crew._

 _Not to mention that Gol D. Roger appears to be a highly intriguing man. From ..._

"You know, it's not very polite to rummage through other people's property," Crocus said from the doorway he'd disappeared into earlier. Ace's eyes snapped to him in shock and embarrassment, the text having claimed his entire attention.

"Don't worry, I don't mind. Though I suspect that you'll find these a lot more interesting," he continued, heaving a quite respectable treasure chest onto the table. While properly intrigued (as any pirate should be) at that sight, Ace's mind was still understandably hung up on what he'd just read.

"You ... you sailed with the Pirate King. My father," he stuttered, staring at the man in disbelief. Only a day into the Grand Line and he was already running into Roger's acquaintances. Unbelievable.

"Yes, I did," the doctor responded, a sentimental smile gracing his lips. "I dare say those were the most insane and unpredictable four years in my entire life. I'll never forget a single second of them, no matter my age." His grin broadened, finally flipping open the treasure chest.

"And since I'll never be able forget this voyage anyway, I want to give these to you." Ace put down the journal in his hands, walking towards the box almost in a daze. It was filled to the brink with books of different shapes and sizes, all of them clearly well cared for.

"Are those ..." He took the big, dark red one on top, caressing the cover almost reverently as he realised what he was looking at.

"Yes. Those are the journals from my travels on the Oro Jackson. Believe it or not, there's one for almost every month. Your father could never sit still for a second, much like little Luffy, from what I can tell."

Ace gripped the book tighter as his hands started to tremble. "You're really giving these to me?" He hated how small and vulnerable his voice sounded, but this ... he'd never expected something like this to fall into his hands. He'd be able to get to know his father, maybe not from an unbiased view, but at least from the momentary thoughts of one of his crew mates.

"You need them more than I do," Crocus said, putting a comforting hand on Ace's shoulder. "Considering that you grew up with Monkey D. Garp's grandson, I doubt that you'll have heard too many positive stories about Roger. The Fist may be a decent person, but he was still only your father's enemy. You should hear what his friends thought about him."

Gulping heavily, Ace briefly shut his eyes, subsequently putting the journal back to the others, closing the chest. "Thank you," he whispered, wiping away the unshed tears at the corners of his eyes. "I can't thank you enough for this." He looked up at Crocus' face, the old man smiling at him gently.

"There's one more thing," he said, reaching into his pocket. "I saw that your co-captain already had one on his wrist, and you probably have one yourself as well, but ..." Opening his hand, Crocus presented an ancient looking log pose to the dazed teenager, closing it around the boy's wrist when he didn't immediately react.

"It's not as iconic as the straw hat I'm guessing Shanks gave to Luffy, but your father wore this during his last journey. Don't ask me why I have it, you can read about it in the journals if you want to find out. Just know that he'd want you to have something of his."

Grasping the new accessory on his wrist, Ace looked down at the tiny needle with a tiny smile on his face. "Which island does it point to?" he asked, looking up at the old man's beaming face. Just as he was about to respond, Ace cut him off, "Wait. Don't answer that."

The tiny smile widened into a broad grin. "You wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, right?"

xXx

 _A/N: Thanks for the tons of reviews for the last two chapters! Still can't quite believe that this is so well-received, considering how many similar stories there are out there. On the other hand, I can never get enough of ASL either._

 _I was originally planning on having them visit the first island in this chapter, too, but somehow, Ace and Crocus demanded a lot of attention. Well, something to look forward to for the next chapter!_

 _As always, feel free to tell me any of your thoughts! Your comments are both encouraging and a source of insp_ _iration. Keep it up, guys! :D_


	4. No Man's Land

_Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own One Piece, but it would be a great Christmas present (hint hint)._

xXx

 **Chapter 4: No Man's Land**

A deep, heartfelt yawn forced its way out of Finn's chest, his eyes tearing up a bit as he fought against sleep. Trying to distract himself, he leant back against the mast, looking up at the stars to count them. It turned out to be a rather difficult task, considering that there were thick clouds blocking his view, but every now and then, he would catch sight of a twinkling light, the wind thousands metres up in the air strong enough to change the view almost constantly.

There was nothing Finn would have loved to do more than to lie down on the wooden planks of the tiny platform and nap for a bit. He really hadn't been born to do nightshifts, but everyone had their turn at least once a week. Well, except Dante, who practically only lived during the night anyways, and Luffy, since if he was awake, everyone else would inevitably be as well.

"Mind if I join you?" Finn turned his head away from the enchanting sky, his gaze falling on the blonde brother climbing over the railing of the crow's nest, a bottle in his hand. It was the first time Finn had ever seen him out of his formal attire – to be honest he'd started wondering if Sabo actually slept in it.

Not that he would say that Sabo looked normal just because he wore a plain red t-shirt and grey pants that looked like they belonged to Ace, his locks a tangled mess as if they hadn't seen a brush in ages. More than anything, it revealed more of his impressive physique, certainly rivalling that of Ace's uncensored glory.

"What are you doing up?", he asked as Sabo sat down next to him, taking a swig from the bottle he was offered. Almost instantly, he pulled a face at the dry flavour. "Why are you drinking Sake?" he spluttered, almost throwing the bottle overboard.

Before he could do so, though, Sabo quickly snatched it back, hugging it to his chest. "Don't you dare take it away. I hardly ever manage to filch one from Goode." The blonde pouted adorably (though not quite as sweetly as Luffy), taking a sip from the bottle.

"You're fourteen," Finn said in an emotionless voice, despite knowing any argument would be futile. This was Sabo – anyone who'd tried to argue with him had ended up losing pathetically. The kid could talk circles around any adult, and frankly, Finn wasn't up to that even when he was fully awake.

Sabo shot him a look in return, clearly stating 'So what?' "Yes, I'm fourteen, I'm a pirate captain and I like the taste. Sue me," he said in a dry voice. "I'm also not an excessive drinker, so no need to worry about my brain cells."

Leaning back against the railing, Sabo put down the bottle next to him, closing his eyes. "Ah, quiet, peaceful darkness," he mumbled, combing his messy hair rather unsuccessfully with his fingers. Finn suddenly realised that the blonde looked dead on his feet. What was he doing up here?

When he asked his question again after a bit of hesitation (the blonde almost seemed to have fallen asleep already), Sabo yawned heartily, opening his eyes again. "You try sleeping in your bed when one brother chews on your hair because he's dreaming of spaghetti while the other thinks setting his eyes on fire is a subtle way to read in bed." He snorted. "Really, I never imagined Ace would become a scholar, like, ever. He was barely literate when I met him."

Finn scrutinized the blonde, who now had a sentimental smile on his face, none too discreetly, practically dying of curiosity. It wasn't as if Ace, Sabo and Luffy weren't friendly and open, but when it came to their past, nobody really knew much besides their crazy heritage. On the other hand, he hadn't ever tried to ask, so ... "I was just wondering, since you're not blood-related, how did you ..."

He trailed off, uncertain if the wording might offend Sabo. Somehow, he had a feeling that neither of the brothers would like the implication that they weren't as close just because they didn't share the same parents.

"How did we meet? Become brothers?" The smile on Sabo's face had indeed turned a bit strained, but he seemed willing to overlook Finn's slip up.

"Yeah. Sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm just – " Before Finn could continue rambling, Sabo cut him off. It was a habit of him, and a rather annoying one, too, in Finn's opinion, but then, nobody was perfect.

"You were just curious. It's fine, really. I only want you to understand that I've never considered my parents to be my family since I ran away. I might as well be an orphan." The grim expression on his face made Finn feel guilty for ever bringing it up. It looked so wrong – the trio usually seemed mischievous and maybe occasionally a little mean, but generally happy with life. To see one of them so serious, so discontent reminded him of the fact that something tragic had to have happened in their past. No normal kids would become this strong without a good reason.

"My parents probably think I'm dead," Finn suddenly found himself saying, his own voice sounding distant to himself. "I didn't tell them where I was going. I didn't even really know what I was doing myself when I snuck onto Francis' ship. I had no idea what he was like back then."

When he paused shortly, meeting Sabo's eyes, he was almost frightened by the intensity in the younger boy's eyes. It was a quality the three brothers shared. No matter what it was they did at the moment, they did it with so much energy and dedication of the likes he'd never seen before. Never had he felt like someone was really listening to him, not the way Sabo was right now.

"They probably think I was kidnapped or something. Everything was so black and white back there, even if we'd met some perfectly decent pirates over the years. Still, marines were good, pirates were bad. It felt so ridiculous even when I was living there."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sabo said, taking a deep sip from the bottle. "But it's our duty as the next generation to fight against the prejudices of our parents. Or, at least, not to adopt them. I mean, if I'd just accepted what I was taught without question, I'd be convinced to be the greatest thing ever to walk this earth while everyone else was just scum."

He sent Finn a wry smile. "Of course, I'm still pretty awesome, but now at least I have some skill to back it up." Finn chuckled weakly at his slightly forced joke, sensing that Sabo wasn't much in the mood to discuss his noble past further. Personally, Finn was more interested in the relationship of the three brothers, anyway.

"So, how did you meet?" Finn asked again, hoping that Sabo would cheer up talking about Ace and Luffy. When Sabo once again held the bottle out to him in question, Finn accepted it, figuring that he'd have to get used to the taste at some point. He was a pirate, after all. Besides, maybe it was just an acquired taste, considering how almost everyone was so fond of it.

"Alright," Sabo sighed, lying down with his head on Finn's lap much to his surprise. Sure, Luffy was all touchy-feely, but the elder two usually kept their distance. "I was five years old, just fresh out of my noble cradle and took my very first steps into the trash heap I'd soon call my playground."

Finn snickered at Sabo's overly dramatic voice, earning himself a dirty glare from the blonde. "As I was saying," there was an underlying threat in his voice, "I was running around the Gray Terminal, trying to pet one of the stray cats which promptly bit me, when suddenly," he paused, waving with his hands as if something extraordinary was about to happen, "I noticed that I was hungry."

This time, Finn only grinned, suppressing his laughter, while Sabo smirked at him. "So I decided to follow my nose, which, by the way, is never a good idea when you're lost in a trash heap. But, eventually, I found some old geezer with some meat in his hands. Polite, as I was, I asked if I could have some of his food. So far, I'd never been denied anything in my life, you must know."

"The guy just looked at me for a few seconds, before saying quite seriously, 'I'd much rather eat you than give you something to eat.'" Sabo took a sip from the bottle, a reminiscing smile on his face. Finn, on the other hand, grew almost blue in the face from suppressing his laughter. It really shouldn't surprise him that Sabo was such a fabulous story-teller.

"Later, I found out that his name was Norman and that he was only talk, but back then, I was rooted to the spot while this man just continued eating calmly, staring at me with his unnerving eyes. At some point, he must have finished his food and left, but quite honestly, I can't remember any of that. My mind had stopped working at some point due to shock."

"And that was when I met Ace. I was standing there, completely at a loss as to what had just happened, when he jumped me and took off with my wallet. No idea how he even knew it was there, but he had it, and I was furious. I might not have understood how the world worked out there, but no chance in hell would I just let some brat steal from me."

Indignation radiated from Sabo as he was lost in his memories. If he hadn't looked up at Finn every few words, watching his reaction, he'd have believed that Sabo'd forgotten he was there. "So I ran after him, barely keeping up, of course. Ace had much better stamina than me back then, and he knew his way around the Gray Terminal. But somehow, I managed to cut him off, jumping him much like he had me before."

"He beat me soundly, naturally. It was my first fight ever, but I put my everything into it. You should have seen Ace's face when I actually hit him in the face, even though he'd already kicked me to the ground multiple times." This time, Sabo was the one who snickered, Finn soon falling in with him.

"Anyway, at the end of it, we were both grinning. Ace didn't look much worse for the wear, but I must have looked pretty awful with a swollen eye and a sprained ankle. He went to steal some food to share, refused to give me back my money, and the rest is history."

A contended smile had spread on Sabo's face during his last few words, adjusting his head to lie more comfortably. Another yawn erupted from his chest, the boy tiredly stretching his muscles a bit. "Is it okay if I sleep here? You're comfy," he mumbled, his eyes half-closed.

"Sure," Finn muttered in response. It was impressive how fast Sabo could go from energetic to tired, but then again, he'd been almost sleep-walking when he'd made his way up to the crow's nest. It was a surprise that he'd lasted long enough to finish his story.

Stroking the surprisingly soft hair, Finn started humming the lullaby his mother used to sing him when he was younger. He could barely remember the lyrics by now, and considering his voice was hardly suited to singing, it was probably better that way.

If Sabo didn't appreciate the childish treatment, the teenager at least didn't protest, instead closing his eyes completely. Only a few seconds later, the boy was out cold, his face the peaceful innocence only ever seen when a child was asleep.

Still, Finn didn't stop with his soothing motions, being careful not to move too much so as not to disturb Sabo's rest. It felt weird, after always being the youngest, to have a younger brother to look after. He blinked. Where had that thought come from?

Sabo and Ace certainly had never needed looking after, the two elder brothers as mature as any adult when they had to be. And Luffy ... well, Luffy was Luffy. The kid may be the most innocent, the most carefree of the trio, but he'd seen other sides to the eleven-year-old, as well. As Dante had once put it, he had the makings of an excellent captain, one that put his crew mates' lives before his own.

Still, as he looked down at the sleeping blonde, he felt a strong urge to protect, to keep the child from harm. He'd only known them for three months, but already, he could barely imagine a life without them. It would be such a bleak existence without their energy and unpredictability.

Yet Finn knew there wasn't anything he could do, really. The three brothers were by far the strongest fighters on the crew, and now they were in the Grand Line, the worst sea for anyone to be in. There was no doubt in his mind that the fights to come would be at least as intense as the one against Arlong's crew had been.

The memory of the fight, or rather the pathetic defeat, still scratched at his pride whenever he thought of it, but he was trying his best to listen to Francis' advice. It was a simple fact that he hadn't been strong enough back then, not in body, not in skill, not in mind. He didn't dare to claim that he was any more advanced now, but he would do his best.

A tiny, determined smile appeared on his face, his eyes fixing protectively on Sabo's face. For his captains, he would become the best.

xXx

Climbing up to the crow's nest with a basket was not quite as easy as Ivy had imagined it would be. In fact, having to constantly watch her right arm to make sure it hadn't moved from its spot in her elbow's crook, whilst also making sure that none of the contents spilled out of it, proved to be an unwanted challenge this early in the morning.

Still, Ivy was determined to make it up there, and to have all the delicious delicacies Goode had cooked up today with her when she reached the highest point of the ship. And if Ivy was determined to do something, there was nothing between heaven and hell that could stop her. One last deep breath, she pulled herself up onto the railed platform, meeting the proud eyes of ...

Absolutely nobody. Slightly pissed, Ivy scowled at the sleeping cabin boy, who was actually meant to keep watch this night. Her features softened quickly, though, as she caught sight of the second person up there.

The two looked murderously cute as they were curled around each other to fit into the hardly spacious nest, Sabo using Finn's shoulder as a pillow. More careful to be quiet now, Ivy swung her legs over the railing, putting down her basket onto the ground as she slowly approached them.

Oh, how she wished she could take a picture of this moment! Finn would undoubtedly be mortified to be caught cuddling, when he was always doing his utmost to act like an adult. It was endearing, really, how hard he was trying. If anything, it fanned the flames of the motherly feelings she'd held for the teenager ever since he'd joined the crew.

After committing the image to her memory, Ivy knelt down besides the sleeping boys, hesitating only for a second before decisively pinching both their noses.

Sabo was the first to react, flying open wide, his body tensing almost as if ready to attack, but he quickly relaxed again when he recognised her. "Oh, hey, Ivy," he muttered, yawning deeply before snuggling back into Finn's chest.

Sleepy eyes looked down at the blonde boy, Finn's hazy mind clearly not quite in the present yet. Absent-mindedly, he stroked Sabo's hair, the sight of the two melting Ivy's heart. A tiny giggle escaped her mouth at the protective look on his face, effectively gaining his attention. Immediately, his hand froze mid-motion, his cheeks rapidly gaining colour.

After a few seconds of inaction, Finn spluttered and jerked away from Sabo as much as it was possible in the limited space, causing the blonde's head to abruptly make contact with the floor. "W-what are you doing up here, Ivy?" the elder teenager finally brought out as Sabo glared at him for the rude awakening.

"Well, I was going to surprise you with breakfast and then send you to bed, but it seems the second part is unnecessary," she said drily, Sabo perking up visibly while he was rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"Food?" he asked, grinning brightly, for a minute almost looking as enthusiastic as Luffy whenever the topic came up. At her affirmative nod towards the basket, he shuffled over and looked into it, surprisingly only picking a cookie. "The rest's for Finn, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure he won't mind," Ivy responded, the tiny smile still on her face as she looked over at the embarrassed teen. Her eyes narrowed. With Sabo out of the picture, she couldn't help but catch sight of a very distinctive bottle behind the teen. She snatched it quickly, frowning disapprovingly at Finn. "And what is this, young man?"

He flinched at her strict tone, eyeing her warily for the lecture he was surely already expecting. "I didn't –"

"I'm sure Goode will be very interested in knowing where this disappeared to," she cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "I know you want to be a good pirate, but that doesn't mean you have to pick up all the awful habits along the way. Especially if Sabo was here with you yesterday. You don't want to be a bad role model, do you?"

An indignant expression appeared on his face, huffing offendedly. "I didn't take it! Sabo did!" He glared at the blonde boy, Ivy following his line of sight. Sabo had sat down next to the basket, nibbling on his cookie with a perfectly innocent look on his face.

Now, if it had been Ace sitting there instead of Sabo, Ivy might have considered that Finn was telling the truth. But this was Sabo, right? The responsible one out of the trio, at least if her past impressions had been correct. Not that she'd interacted with them much yet, the three brothers incompatible with her world view so far.

"He's fourteen, Finn. At least choose a different victim to blame, if you don't want to man up and confess your deed," she said, knowing that by playing this card, she'd win the argument without any more effort.

As expected, his frown deepened, but at least he didn't protest any further. Instead, he crawled towards Sabo, taking an apple from the basket after mumbling something to the blonde, who snickered in response.

Briefly, she considered asking, but in the end, she decided to leave the two alone, making her way back down to the kitchen with the empty bottle in her hand. When she'd gone there first thing in the morning, Goode had asked her about it almost immediately, the man keeping a keen eye on their beverages. Partly because he was in charge of supplies and liked to keep track of where the food and drinks went, but mostly because the man was a hopeless alcoholic himself.

After entering the kitchen, she put the bottle down on the counter, Goode throwing her an interested glance. "Found your stray bottle. Finn had it," she stated, the disapproval still apparent in her voice.

Good looked from her to the bottle and back again, surprise evident on his face. "Finn? Really? That's a first," he said as he took it from the counter, eyeing it as if he expected it to start talking. Or whatever. Ivy didn't want to know what was going on in Goode's mind. "Guess it wasn't Sabo for once, then."

Now it was Ivy's turn to stare at Goode in disbelief. This had to have been her imagination. "Sabo?" There was no way the blonde would be this irresponsible, right? He was the one who kept Luffy and Ace in check. Someone capable of that feat had to be incredibly gifted – surely, he wouldn't waste his talents by drinking them into oblivion.

"Granted, I only caught him twice so far, but I've had a few bottles go missing over the last few months. Nothing to worry about, though, I'm sure," he hastily added, seeing her furious expression. Her stance on alcohol was well known throughout the ship.

That sly, little devil. She couldn't believed she'd fallen for his white lie and his sweet, innocent face. Now she'd have to apologise to Finn later, the older teenager in retrospect clearly telling the truth.

What to do about Sabo, though? Her first instinct was to head up to the crow's nest and give him a piece of her mind, but she knew she could never do that. While he might be a kid in her eyes, he was still her captain. She had no authority to question him, much less to try and raise him. Especially since she didn't think either of the boys would accept a parental figure in their lives.

It was one of the main reasons why she'd abstained from getting closer to them so far. They were something of an enigma to her – three kids who should by all rights still live protected by their parents, safe inside the walls of their homes. To see them grown up so prematurely bothered her to no end.

Not to mention that their abilities and resulting confidence seriously unnerved her. When she'd been their age, she'd been riddled with insecurities characteristic for a teenage girl at the height of puberty. Yet while they might sometimes act immaturely, their actions always seemed to hold the unshakeable knowledge that what they were doing was right.

What could she even talk with them about? In comparison to the trio, she was so mind-numbingly normal. The only interesting thing about her was the fact that she was a pirate and a talented sniper, but besides that, how could she even begin to measure up to these wonder boys?

"You gonna eat that?" Goode cut in through her thoughts, looking pointedly at the plate he'd placed in front of her. There was a generous helping of ham and eggs stacked on it, rounded off with a bowl of fruit salad next to it. Thanking him hastily, Ivy grabbed the tray and walked towards the dining section of the room, recently separated by a wall so Luffy couldn't grab food from the kitchen.

Maybe she should talk to Sabo. Out of the three of them, he seemed to be the sanest, the most normal, the one whose background she could probably empathize with the most. Now, she even had a reason to speak with him after that prank he'd pulled on her.

When she entered the dining hall, however, it wasn't the blonde brother sitting at one of the two tables, his face planted in his food while one of his hands was stuck between the pages of a thin notebook. For a moment, she stopped her motions, wondering briefly what she should do.

On one hand, after three months of sailing together, she should really get to know the people she called captains. Everything she knew about them was second-hand knowledge from her crewmates or observations she'd made herself. That was hardly sufficient to constitute a relationship.

On the other hand, Ace was probably the worst choice for her to start making connections. She wouldn't even try to deny that he was the one who scared her the most out of the three, though it was a bit difficult to figure out why. After all, it couldn't be his monstrous strength, nor could it be his heritage, really – he wasn't exactly the odd one out compared to his brothers.

There was just something about his attitude that had Ivy immediately on guard. Maybe it was the fact that he somehow seemed to be a dangerous combination out of his two brothers – Luffy's boundless recklessness and energy and Sabo's cunning. Or maybe the way he completely dismissed the consequences of announcing his parentage via property damage.

Yet there was the possibility she was simply judging him unfairly, letting her preconceived notions taint her view of him. She knew better than anybody that first impressions often were incorrect, and that you always, always had to give people a second chance. Even if you didn't think they deserved it.

Her mind set, she walked towards the table Ace slept at, sitting down opposite of him. Once again, she hesitated, uncertain if she should try to wake him up, or at least move him from his food. There was no way it could be conducive to the flavour to have a face in the middle of it.

Before she could make her move, however, Sabo's voice echoed throughout the entire ship, the boy shouting at the top of his voice, "Land ho!" Instantly, Ace's head shot up as if he'd only been waiting for that exact sentence to reach his ears. Though it was a rather unlikely theory considering his dazed and somewhat confused look.

Ivy could almost see his brain working, his face lighting up as the words were processed at last. "Finally!" he screamed in return, Ivy flinching at the volume of his voice. Shovelling the last bits of food into his mouth at breakneck speed, only slowing down a bit as he spotted her and her presumably disgusted expression.

"Come on, Ivy, eat up!" he brought out between two bites. At least that was what Ivy thought she deciphered from his speech, muffled by the food still in his mouth. Even though her appetite had effectively been killed by the view in front of her, she ate a few spoonful of the fruit salad, closing her eyes to better savour the taste.

That turned out to be a mistake, since shortly after, a strong hand grabbed her across her wrist, dragging her out of her seat. Her eyes flying open, she shouted in indignation, but Ace only grinned cheekily at her, his face miraculously clean of any leftover crumbs. "Don't look at me like that! You don't wanna be late for your first view of a Grand Line island, right?"

When he put it like that, any will to protest slowly faded, though she still glared at him, wrestling back her hand by the time they reached the deck. Almost all of the crew members had arrived before them, only Dante, who probably wasn't planning on leaving his cabin, and, strangely enough, Luffy missing.

Stepping up to Zandra at the ship's railing, she followed her line of sight, the island's coast already quite a bit nearer than she'd expected. "So this is our first island, huh?" She smiled at her sister, gently nudging her with her elbow.

"Indeed. How grand," she snidely commented, walking away from the spot she'd occupied, presumably to get some food and head back to the cabin the two shared. Ivy's smile fell off her face. Some things never changed.

Before she could fall into depression and self-doubt, though, a strong arm slung around her shoulders, pulling her close. "Lighten up, Ivy," Finn grinned at her broadly, the fight from the morning apparently already forgotten. "It's time for our first adventure!"

xXx

Humming a cheerful tune, Amaryllis bustled through the kitchen, going through the daily routine of preparing breakfast for the ravenous pirate crew she'd now been a part of for half a year. Fortunately, she had always been an early riser, the sun beckoning her as soon as the first few rays illuminated the horizon.

As such, by the time most members of the crew finally escaped the tight grasp of relaxing sleep, she was always finished with her cooking, ready to fill their empty stomachs and get them started on the day.

Tucking a stray strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, she placed another finished dish on the counter, already eager to get started on the next one. Just as she put it down, though, she noticed something off about the room.

There were supposed to be two loafs of fresh bread, three plates of fried bacon and one huge bowl of scrambled eggs as well as a tray filled with an assortment of various sandwiches, waiting for the hungry souls to find their way into the kitchen. Now, however, the bacon had completely disappeared, along with half of the sandwiches.

While she was busy making her observations, a hand stretched towards the sandwiches, another two quickly disappearing behind the counter. Amaryllis blinked. How had she not noticed someone coming into her kitchen? Then again, her crew members were never exactly subtle when they came in, so perhaps she'd gotten used to being greeted upon arrival.

She quickly walked around the counter to identify her food thief, ready to scold whoever was foolish enough to incite her wrath. At the sight offered to her, though, she stopped, her eyes widening slightly.

"Mmm, your food's sooo good!" the child exclaimed, munching on one of the sandwiches, the plates previously filled with bacon empty on the ground before him. "Wanna join my crew?"

Amaryllis hesitantly knelt down on the floor beside him, unsure of what to do in this situation. She'd always had a weakness for cute things, as evidenced by the numerous cats who'd taken to visit her for food back in her hometown. Children were very high on the list of beings she couldn't say no to, as well.

There was no way she could be angry at the boy for eating her food, especially since as a cook, she didn't like seeing people go hungry. To look for food on a pirate ship, the kid had to have been desperate. The first thing parents taught their children was not to go near the discredited adventurers, after all.

"You shouldn't be on this ship," she whispered to him, snatching him up from the floor to put him onto the counter. Grabbing a piece of cloth, she proceeded to clean his face of grease despite his whining complaints. "You can't just go on strangers' ships, you know that, right? Your parents are probably worried sick about you."

"Why would my dad be worried? He's not anywhere around here," the boy said with a confused face, his arm stretching to grab another sandwich. Amaryllis froze in disbelief. Had his arm literally just stretched? "'Sides, I was hungry, and your food smelled tasty, so why wouldn't I be here?"

Turning her attention back to the conversation, while simultaneously resolving to ask about her strange observation later if it ever became relevant, she explained patiently, "This is a pirate ship, dear. Most pirates don't take too kindly to people stealing from them." Frowning slightly, she handed him one of the muffins she'd baked yesterday. "Your parents don't live here with you?" Maybe he was an orphan?

"Nah, but I don't live here either," the boy responded, his words muffled by the food in his mouth. Amaryllis cringed slightly at the unsightly image, but decided to ignore it. He wasn't hers to teach manners to. Though from his words so far, she doubted that he had any parental figures in his life. "I just came here today with my brothers and our crew!"

"Your brothers?" Well, at least there was someone responsible for the child. Somehow, she doubted Azure would have been too happy if she added a child to her growing number of cute companions. "And your crew? Are you pirates, as well?" She dearly hoped to be wrong. No kid this young should be out on the sea in any case, much less as a criminal already.

"Yep! I'm gonna be the Pirate king!" he shouted in response to her question, Amaryllis quickly slapping a hand over his mouth to muffle his loud voice in her surprise.

"You should be more careful who you tell that to. Marines were on this island just yesterday, and you're going to be staying here for a while, for sure." Slowly, she removed her hand again, the boy pouting at her adorably. "I'm Amaryllis, by the way."

"Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the ASL pirates!" Grinning confidently, he placed the straw hat, previously dangling on his back, onto his head. A slightly indulgent smile appeared on Amaryllis' face in reaction to his declaration.

"So you're the captain, huh?" It would surely be interesting to meet the crew that was looking after this boy, just to see which captain tolerated the probably constant undermining of his authority, even if it was done by a child. Most likely it would be one of the brothers Luffy had previously mentioned.

The door swinging open effectively diverted Amaryllis' curiosity, though. Suddenly, she became very much aware of the fact that not only had she stopped cooking a while ago, but also half of the food had disappeared into the seemingly bottomless pit that was her young guest.

"Woah, you're really white!" Amaryllis flinched as her captain's attention was immediately directed towards Luffy. Apparently, she hadn't been the only one who'd caught sight of the opening door.

Azure stared long and hard at the boy, Luffy reciprocating his gaze in the same unyielding manner. Much to Amaryllis' surprise, it was actually her captain who gave, turning his somewhat eerie eyes at her. Letting the door fall shut behind him, he walked closer to the counter she'd put Luffy on, waiting impatiently for her to explain the situation.

"Good morning, captain," she started, barely swallowing the instinctive question on how he'd slept. That probably wouldn't be much appreciated right at this moment. "Err, this is Luffy. He found me in the kitchen today, and he was really hungry, so I gave him some of our food." Almost holding her breath, she watched Azure for a tiny inkling of his reaction.

The only problem was that Azure's poker face was perfection, and it almost never dropped. Amaryllis could count the number of times he'd shown his emotions to her on one hand, and even then, she'd only earned that privilege by meeting him in a life or death situation during one of the worst periods of his life.

At last, though, he heaved a tiny sigh, moving to pour himself a cup of hot coffee. "This isn't going to become a thing, right? I can take the cats, but a pirate ship isn't the place to start an orphanage. We don't have the money for it, either," he stated in his soft tenor, his voice automatically commanding attention despite the low volume he always spoke in.

"I'm not an orphan, I just don't live with my dad," Luffy said before Amaryllis could defend her actions. She sent a silent prayer to any gods that might exist that Luffy wouldn't do anything to offend Azure. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna be the Pirate king," he continued, at least a bit quieter than before. Considering just who he'd addressed, it wouldn't matter much, unfortunately.

"I've heard someone say that before," Azure responded, his tone icy enough to freeze Amaryllis to the spot. Of course, Luffy had to bring up the one topic guaranteed to put her captain into a bad mood.

"Azure ..." she started, but the glare from his frightening obsidian eyes prevented her from continuing her sentence. Not that she'd really known what to say – Azure had never taken well to any forms of comfort.

"My father said the exact same thing, only hours before he and his crew were slaughtered for his arrogance," he elaborated, turning his gaze back to the little boy she really should have taken off the ship before anyone had woken up.

Yet once again, Luffy surprised her, the child meeting Azure's gaze in the same unyielding manner as before. A serious expression she hadn't imagined he'd be capable of had appeared on his face, the silence in the room stretching seconds into what felt like hours.

"I'd rather die than give up on my dream of absolute freedom."

It was Luffy who broke both the silence and their eye contact, grabbing another muffin from a tray technically out of his reach. Azure's only reaction to his statement was a slight widening of his eyes, but Amaryllis knew how unusual even that tiny breach was.

She couldn't deny feeling shaken herself. The conviction that rang in Luffy's voice was unbelievable, the sheer strength of his will overwhelming. Never before had she experienced anything like this, even the most talented speakers hadn't left such an impression on her. And the source was a child who looked hardly older than ten years.

"What's your dream?" Luffy asked, crossing his legs on the counter as he turned to face Azure with his entire body instead of only turning his head.

The question clearly baffled Azure if the look on his face was anything to go by. At the back of her mind, Amaryllis felt impressed by how easily this boy had torn through her captain's barriers. "I don't really have one," Azure finally answered, sounding rather unsure of himself.

Chewing on his muffin, Luffy kept a close eye on Azure. Amaryllis felt somewhat relieved not to be faced with such scrutiny. "Don't worry. We'll fix that," Luffy said at last, grinning brightly.

Amaryllis was dying to ask just what he meant with those words. Why would Luffy even care about Azure's dreams, much less take an active interest in his life? Before she could ask her questions, however, the door swung open again.

Unfortunately, the people entering did in no way belong to their crew. "So that's where you've been hiding, Azure," Murray drawled, making himself comfortable on the small kitchen table while his two companions took their positions at the doorway. "Did you think I'd forget about you just because I don't see you?"

Amaryllis shuddered as his disgusting little eyes swept towards her, roaming over her body unashamedly as he'd taken to doing every day she wasn't quick enough to make herself scarce. The strong hand on the small of her back reassured her, though, reminding her that no matter how dire their situation, Azure would protect her.

"My apologies. I didn't think you'd be coming after the ... incident yesterday," Azure countered, his voice and face completely emotionless, the turmoil caused by Luffy earlier mercilessly suppressed. Her eyes flittered towards the strange child. He seemed to be occupied with eating his sandwich, but she got the distinct impression that he was watching the situation unfold closely.

The glorified thug looked at Azure condescendingly. "It takes more than a few marines to make Shooter go out of business," he said, crossing his hands in his lap. "It did, however, cut into our budget, so we've decided to raise the price to 7 million."

"7 million?! That's more than twice what we've been paying before!" Azure scowled fiercely at Murray, his waning patience warring with the deep-seated desire to avoid a fight. Yet Amaryllis knew, as she'd suspected from the first day they'd set foot on the island, that a fight would be unavoidable.

"Pay or leave, you know the rules," Murray snarled, his pleasant facade crumbling. His two companions threateningly cracked their knuckles, rather unnecessarily in Amaryllis' opinion. "If you don't have the money, we're always happy to accept ... goods in exchange for our services." Murray's gaze turned pointedly towards her and, much to her displeasure, Luffy.

Azure opened his mouth to retaliate, but Luffy was faster than him, jumping off the counter and walking up to the man, still seated on the table. "Don't threaten my friends." Almost painfully slowly, Murray stood up from his previous position, drawing himself up to his usually pathetic height.

In comparison to Luffy, though, the difference in height was ridiculous, and the man clearly thought so as well. "What are you going to do about it, brat? Go crying to your mommy?" Dismissing the boy as unimportant, he turned his attention back towards Azure. "Are you hiding behind a child now, oh great captain Azure?"

Azure clenched his jaw, but quickly stepped in front of Luffy. "Come along, I'll bring you the money," he ground out, heading towards the door with their guests. Amaryllis followed his example immediately, drawing Luffy into her arms to prevent him from provoking the men further.

As soon as the door closed behind them, she let go of him, turning the boy around to face her. "What were you thinking, Luffy?" she scolded, kneeling down in front of him. "You can't just go up against three grown men! This is something for us adults to handle."

He scowled at her petulantly. "I didn't like them." Amaryllis waited for him to elaborate, but it seemed that was all he had to say on the matter. She sighed. Of course, she'd known that children could be very difficult at times, but Luffy seemed to be on a whole new level.

"We should get you back to your brothers, I'm sure they're looking for you already," she said, heading towards the door, but Luffy stayed rooted to his spot.

"Don't wanna," he declared sharply, crossing his arms over his chest. Amaryllis stared at him in disbelief. How had this child made such an impression on her earlier? Had that just been a trick of the light?

"Luffy ..." she started, unsure of how to convince him to comply with her wishes. She had a feeling that the boy could be incredibly stubborn if he wanted to be. In the end, she opted simply for a pleading look, even if she knew it would be far from as effective as it was on male grown-ups.

He pouted at her expression, looking probably at least as cute as she did. "Can Azure come, at least?"

Amaryllis didn't even try to hide her surprise at his question. It wasn't like Azure was much of a people's person, much less good with kids. But it seemed Luffy had taken a liking to him despite the falling out they'd had earlier. "Let's go ask him."

xXx

"You look like you're lost, kid."

Sabo let his eyes roam over the comfy, if slightly run-down pub a little more, before homing in on the man standing behind the bar, cleaning a couple of glasses while scrutinizing Sabo. Considering that it wasn't even midday yet, the tables were filled with a decent number of customers already, though none of them looked to be very respectable.

Not that Sabo had really expected to find many decent people when he'd entered the pub. In fact, the whole town seemed to be a gathering place for the criminal world, everything from bandits to pirates to slavers roaming the streets.

To say that he was unimpressed by the first island the brothers had reached together would be an understatement. Maybe they should have stayed at the Twin Cape for a while longer to consult Crocus about which route would be the most interesting to take. But Ace had insisted on following his father's log pose, and neither Luffy nor Sabo had had the heart to protest.

Besides, as Ace and Luffy liked to put it, their adventures could only get more exciting if they didn't even know where they were going.

Stepping up to the bar, Sabo tipped his hat courteously in greeting, sitting down on one of the stools. "I'm pretty sure I'm not. My name's Sabo," he said, taking in the man's scruffy appearance. While his face could use a razor's tender treatment, he seemed to at least understand the meaning of hygiene, putting him in the lead over the majority of the folk littering the streets. Smiling mischievously, Sabo asked, "Would you happen to have a glass of milk for me?"

The man laughed in his face, but disappeared through the door behind him, presumably leading into the kitchen. A few moments later, he reappeared with a bottle of milk in his hand, pouring some into a glass he'd previously cleaned.

Putting his hat down on the counter in front of him, Sabo accepted the proffered glass, sipping on the white drink, pushing his wish for sake to the back of his mind. No matter how much he preferred the taste, he was still a growing boy, and thus milk would be a much better choice for him than alcohol.

"Thank you!" He grinned at the barkeep, overaccentuating the words, and tossed a coin at him. It would be more than enough to cover the price of one glass milk, but if Sabo deigned to pay for once, he might as well be generous. Besides, the information tended to be better if his victims felt appreciated.

The man caught the coin in the air and pocketed it without commenting on the amount. "I don't think I've seen you around, brat," he drawled, returning to his glasses while still keeping his attention on Sabo.

"Nah, you wouldn't have," Sabo answered the silent question, "I just arrived here today. Not a very lively town, is it?" His statement wasn't entirely true. There were quite a few people out on the streets, but the general atmosphere he'd picked up was rather tense. It was possible that that was due to the inherent distrust the scum of the world usually held in their hearts. Or something had recently happened, which would hopefully make the island more interesting.

As expected, his provocative question got an informative answer. "Can't really blame them. Trade's usually very good here, but it's not exactly all ... legal, if you catch what I mean." Yes, the black market and the slave trade. Sabo'd noticed and still planned on disagreeing very violently on the latter topic. "Everyone's on their toes today, though, since some higher-up marines were here yesterday. Some Admiral or whatever."

"An Admiral?!" That would indeed be bad. Definitely interesting, but very, very bad. Especially considering that the town was apparently still running, so it was unlikely to be Aokiji – that guy was the only halfway decent amongst them.

"Eh, I wouldn't put too much stock in that," the barkeeper continued, obviously enjoying Sabo's vocal reaction. "It's just the chatter I pick up from the street. It was probably just some captain or a vice-admiral at most, but people like to embellish their stories, you know?" The man looked so sickeningly proud of knowing such a pretty word that Sabo almost applauded. Almost.

"Ah, that's fine then," Sabo responded, sipping on his milk. "A vice-admiral I can handle. Well, as long as it's not the shitty old geezer," he added as an afterthought, shuddering at the thought of their loving grandpa. By now, he was probably already on his way to find them, furiously worried, even if he'd never admit it. Silently, he sent an apology to the old man for never fulfilling his wish of raising marines, neither in this life nor the last.

"Shitty old geezer ...?" the man asked with a rather confused face, but Sabo waved him off. Better not to start talking about his crazy family in such a place. Thankfully, the man didn't dig deeper, changing the topic instead. "How does a sweet noble child like you end up in this place, anyways?"

Sabo blinked. Well, yes, his clothes did imply that his family was loaded, but couldn't he simply have an appreciation for stylish garb? On the other hand, he didn't really mind being mistaken for a noble. By being a criminal with manners and style, it felt like he was giving all those uppity aristocrats his elegant middle finger.

Looking discreetly around the pub, he noticed that now, he was being watched particularly closely. Depending on his answer, he'd bet that some of the thugs lurking in the corners would try to get the jump on him later. The barkeeper was likely in on it as well, presenting a welcoming face while assessing his danger and cash level.

Allowing a tiny smirk to creep onto his face, Sabo sipped at his glass of milk again. That order had really been a genius move. It made him seem so much more innocent than he was. "Oh, I'm not a noble," Sabo drawled, his mocking smile widening a little bit, "I'm a pirate."

The man laughed his bellowing laugh again, but Sabo didn't let the smile fall off his face. These were the days he'd enjoy the most – when everyone still underestimated them. He simply loved the look on people's faces when they finally realised their own stupidity.

Wiping stray tears from his eyes, the man got uncomfortably close to his face. "A pirate, huh? You wouldn't have arrived with the crew stupid enough to challenge Shooter today, would you?"

That did catch Sabo's attention. "And who might Shooter be?" he asked, adopting an innocently curious expression again.

"Your captain must be a particularly fresh rookie, if he didn't even tell his cabin boy about the ruler of this island," the man mocked. "I mean, how can he not tell you about the strongest pirate on this island? He probably wants you to get yourself killed!" A sly look appeared on his face. "You'd do well to leave him as soon as possible. I'm sure I could get you the one odd job or the other."

Sabo expertly ignored his last few words. He had no desire to find out which 'jobs' the man would offer a fourteen-year-old with a pretty face. "So Shooter's been ruling this island for how long now?" he asked, genuinely curious why the supposed ruler still called himself a pirate when he likely never left the island.

The barkeeper seemed disappointed not to have left more of an impression on Sabo with his words, but still answered his question with a little hesitation and a significantly lower voice. "Well, the official version is that this land's been in his family for centuries, but that's just make-believe. He's been here for two years, which is pretty much average for this island. There's a reason the locals call it No Man's land instead of Cannon island."

"Hmm ... I see," Sabo murmured, finishing his glass of milk. To beat up or not to beat up? On one hand, they'd need something to do while they were waiting for the log pose to set (one fricking month – he couldn't believe their abysmal luck). On the other hand, the man hadn't done anything to offend them in particular. Yet. Oh, who was he kidding.

Putting his glass down on the counter while grabbing his hat with his other hand, Sabo stood up from the chair. "Right, before I forget: Is there a smith in town that works with seastone?"

The man blinked in surprise. "Planning on fighting against Devil Fruit users, are you? Seastone can only do so much, you know. Best to avoid those kinds of fights." How cute. It almost sounded as if he worried about Sabo. If he hadn't been subtly signing his thugs that it was a go, Sabo might have believed him.

"One can never know what happens," Sabo stated enigmatically, smiling inwardly as he watched the man fidget a bit. He could practically hear the thoughts racing through his head. If Sabo was strong enough not to shy away from Devil fruit users, maybe he wasn't such an easy victim, after all?

"W-well, there's Stan, he makes practically any custom-made weapons. I'm sure he uses seastone as well, if you have the money for it," the barkeeper answered, his facade crumbling only a tiny bit. "Head out the door, then take a left, a right, then straight ahead, after two crossroads a right again. You can't miss it."

From his decent directions, Sabo doubted that he would, provided that the man had actually told him the way to this Stan. He'd probably find out when he arrived there. Putting his top hat on, Sabo gave a tiny wave before heading out of the door. All in all, it had been a surprisingly pleasant conversation, since he had no trouble ignoring the scheming to ambush him.

Casually, he strolled down the streets following the barkeeper's directions, ignoring the curious onlookers who were probably wondering why a child was wandering around this town on his own. Oh, yes, Sabo was definitely itching to get into a fight and prove them all wrong.

As he turned the first right, he focused on his Observation Haki, trying to get a feel of what the thugs in the bar had decided on. And indeed, he did detect them only a street behind him, the group splitting up to lay an ambush somewhere ahead of him.

That wasn't what caught really his attention, however. Coming to an abrupt stop, Sabo looked into one of the side alleys right as they were chaining up Ivy. Finn already lay motionless on the ground besides her. The woman had clearly put up a fight, from what Sabo could judge from her appearance, but if they'd been ambushed as Sabo guessed, she would have been at a severe disadvantage.

Changing his direction but not his pace, Sabo walked into the alley, which turned out to be a dead end, his hands still in the pockets of his coat. It didn't take the presumed slavers long to notice him, one of the underlings nudging the burliest of the group, pointing towards him. The man snarled something Sabo didn't quite catch, throwing the bound Ivy on top of Finn, the woman crying out hopefully in surprise, not pain.

As Sabo finally reached the group, they wasted no time in surrounding him, towering threateningly over him. "You picked a bad time to get lost, kid," the leader rasped, his companions drawing their swords and guns as if on command.

Sabo rolled his eyes. Why did everyone call him lost today? Did he really look this confused? "Actually, I think I have the perfect timing today," Sabo drawled, a smirk creeping on his face as he sensed his stalkers enter the alley as well. It seemed like he'd be able to take care of two problems in one sweep.

As the men stepped closer to him, Sabo took the pipe off his back, twirling it in his left hand. "You see, I couldn't help but notice that you were treating my crew members very roughly. I'd be an awful captain if I didn't take offense to that, don't you agree?"

The leader burst out laughing, holding his stomach with one hand as he pointed at Sabo mockingly with the other. The sheep immediately followed his example "You? A captain –" Just as he was about to finish his taunt, Sabo smashed the end of his pipe into his cheek. Unprepared for the attack as well as Sabo's face, the man took the brunt of it, spitting out blood and teeth as he landed on the ground.

Twirling his pipe in his hand again, Sabo's smirk widened, his hat shadowing his eyes. "You'll find that I take my position rather seriously." For a second, there was a lull in the action, the thugs disbelieving of what they'd just seen.

The leader managed to get back his composure rather quickly, though, the man growling in anger. "Get him," he spat, blood spraying from his mouth. Instantly, his underlings charged at Sabo, the circle around him quickly closing. Sabo merely jumped up high, used one of their heads as a spring board and landed elegantly in front of Ivy and Finn, breaking their shackles with blackened fingers.

"You guys okay?" he asked quietly as the guys behind him crashed together into a painful heap of tangled limbs and sharp blades. Ivy nodded even as she flinched while rubbing her wrists. The wounds spread over her body did look quite nasty, though definitely not as bad as Finn's gaping head wound. Unsurprisingly, he was still unconscious.

"They took out Finn first when they jumped us," Ivy said with a weak voice, reaching for the cabin boy's forearm. "They probably figured he was the bigger threat." She sighed. "He's going to beat himself up about it again."

Sabo couldn't do anything but hum worriedly in agreement. Finn had already taken his first defeat very seriously, and to be taken out without even having the chance to fight would no doubt bother him endlessly. "I'll train with him to make sure he doesn't overdo it. Don't worry."

A hand grabbed his shoulder roughly. "Oi, stop ignoring us, you little shit." Sabo glanced at the offending appendage, his eyes quickly finding the leader's bruised face far too close to his own for his taste. The man's mouth would definitely profit from being treated by a toothbrush more frequently.

As the man increased the pressure on his shoulder, probably planning to throw him into a wall or onto the ground, Sabo swiftly struck out with his pipe again, this time targeting the inside of the man's knee. With a satisfying crunch, he hit his target, his victim crying out both in pain and anger as his foot gave out.

Bringing up his own knee a bit, the man practically knocked himself out as his chin crashed into it when he dropped to the ground. The rest of the group stared at Sabo with a mix of disbelief and rage, but Sabo didn't give them the time to contemplate their actions. Jumping in to grab the closest man around his wrist, he used the created momentum to throw him into one of his companions, almost simultaneously taking out a third with his pipe.

By now, the remaining thugs started to get a little nervous, their guns and swords trained on Sabo with shaky hands. The first shot fired set off a virtual avalanche, the men drawing courage from the others' bold moves. Not that it mattered much to Sabo – the few bullets he didn't dodge, he deflected with his pipe or Armament Haki.

He briefly considered finishing the fight quickly by using his Dragon's Breath attack, but in the end, he decided to save his flashier techniques for a more interesting audience. Besides, he didn't want to cause too much damage to the town. It already looked like it was about to fall apart.

As such, he simply continued evading the bullets, stopped a few blades with his bare hand and subsequently broke them, which clearly freaked out every enemy present, and took down one after the other until he was the last one standing. Bringing the pipe back to his back, he looked towards the entrance of the alley where his pursuers stood wide-eyed.

"Can I help you with something, gentlemen?" He tilted his hat up, flashing a charming grin at them. One of them squeaked pathetically, before the entire group decided to make a break for it. Tucking a few stray locks back into his hat, Sabo strolled back towards his two crew mates.

Finn looked at him confusedly, but at least he was looking at him now. "W-what happened?" he asked, definitely moving his head more than he should as he tried to figure out the situation around him.

"We got ambushed, Finn, but Sabo took care of it already, remember? We should get you back to Beckett. The wound on your head looks nasty," Ivy explained in a calm voice, the words sounding almost rehearsed. A concussion with short-term memory loss, then, probably. Though Sabo was hardly an expert in medicine.

Slinging Finn's arm around his own shoulders to support him, Sabo helped him stand up, ignoring the slightly dazed look he received from his friend. "Come on, let's go. The ship shouldn't be too far."

xXx

"Are you sure this is the way to your ship?" Azure asked for the umpteenth time, the kid tugging on his hand energetically nodding enthusiastically. He sighed. "You said that the last hundred times, too, remember?"

The kid looked back at him, pouting, but didn't slow down in the slightest. Was he even looking where he was going? "I can't help it if I get distracted," Luffy whined. "I've never been to this island before. Everything's new!"

Azure pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand, sighing again. He'd be surprised if by the end of the day, any of his nerves still remained. "So you'd never seen a butterfly before?" he asked sarcastically, just loud enough for Luffy and Amaryllis to hear it.

"It was pretty!" Luffy proclaimed loudly, drawing the gazes of the people littering the streets even more than he did anyways. Amaryllis giggled at Azure's exasperated face, the dark glare he sent her amusing her even further.

Why, oh why had he agreed to accompanying the two? His life would be so much easier right now if he'd simply stayed on the ship, managing their daily affairs instead of gallivanting around town with a kid that had the attention span of a squirrel.

But no, he just had to fall victim to his own curiosity, his first impression of Luffy too torn for him to accept. Besides, he really didn't want Amaryllis to walk around this town on her own. No matter how many times she told him that she could defend herself just fine, and no matter how often he'd actually seen it for himself, he couldn't suppress the urge to protect her. It was the least he could do after all that she'd done for him.

Much to his surprise, they actually reached the docks this time around. Maybe he'd finally get the chance to find those mysterious brothers Luffy travelled with according to Amaryllis, and meet the neglectful jerks who left the boy to wander around a town like this on his own.

The situation on the docks looked anything but inviting, though. A sizeable crowd of people had gathered, cheering and shouting at the fighters Azure couldn't quite catch sight of yet. Tightly gripping Luffy's hand, he forced the kid to come to a stop, having to use quite a bit more strength than he'd expected.

"Why are we stopping? My ship's right up ahead!" he shouted, tugging at Azure's hand again, but the captain was resolute in avoiding the scuffle unfolding in front of them. The town was troublesome enough without getting involved into fights that didn't concern him.

"Let's take a different route, Luffy," he tried, but the boy shook his head vigorously.

"Which different route? That's our ship!" he said, pointing at the galleon right behind the crowd. Azure cursed internally. The likelihood that the fighters belonged to Luffy's crew was very high, then. Still, he was determined not to get drawn into the scuffle.

Looking at Luffy's face, though, he could see that the boy would not be deterred from heading towards his ship. "Fine," he ground out, letting go off Luffy's hand to pick up the child and put him on his shoulders. Hopefully, he could stop the boy from doing anything stupid.

As they became a part of the crowd, Azure and Amaryllis manoeuvring skilfully to get to the front, he first caught sight of the fighters. One group, the larger one, clearly consisted of Shooter's thugs, Murray with his annoying comments immediately catching his attention. "Pay or leave, that's the rule," he drawled his catchphrase. "If you refuse to do either, we're forced to get rid of you." The eager look on his face contradicted his regretful words.

The tall, orange-haired man facing him showed no physical reaction to the threat at first, the knives clutched in his hands poised to attack. A broad-shouldered blond man stood beside him, blood dripping of his drawn swords. While the two were clearly outnumbered, they already appeared to have done quite a bit of damage, several of the thugs Murray had brought with him lying groaning or motionless on the ground.

Neither of them looked like they were related to Luffy, so maybe they weren't part of his crew. Almost immediately, Azure scolded himself internally for jumping to such an insane conclusion just because he wanted to remain an uninvolved bystander. Obviously, not everyone on the crew would be related to Luffy.

The man with the knives scoffed at Murray's words. "I didn't come to the Grand Line to be ripped off," he growled, gripping his knives a bit tighter. His eyes flitted around the crowd, probably looking for a way out of the situation. When his eyes zeroed in on Luffy, they widened briefly, almost immediately narrowing on Azure's face afterwards.

Internally, he groaned, while externally, he naturally showed nothing but a blank face. So Luffy was part of their crew. Wonderful. It was a miracle that the child hadn't done anything as foolish as announcing his allegiance, or stupidly standing up to Murray again.

Murray laughed mockingly at the man. "What, did you come here to become Pirate king? Someone as pathetic as you won't make it past our island, much less become our ruler." He sneered, motioning for more of his men to attack, but the duo fought them off valiantly. The few who got past their shared defence were taken down by a woman with long green hair sitting on the railing, her steady hands never missing a shot.

"Wow, looks like they're having fun," a young voice piped up next to him, the blonde noble adjusting his grip on the injured teenager he was supporting. A petite woman stopped next to him, eyeing the fight with equal amounts of worry and excitement, her hands caressing the guns at her hips.

"Where's Ace?" she asked, tucking a few strands of her short green hair behind her ears, the colour exactly the same as the woman's on the railing. Somehow, Azure doubted this was a coincidence. Maybe they were sisters? In any case, the likelihood of them belonging to the same crew was very high, especially considering the curious looks they threw Amaryllis and him.

The blonde boy didn't take his eyes of the fight, following every move the three fighters made critically. "He's still on the ship," he said absent-mindedly, before looking up at Azure. "Who're your friends, Luffy?"

The boy on his shoulders enthusiastically threw his arms around Azure's neck, the captain flinching slightly as his air supply was severely limited. "That's Azure and Amy! They're going to join our crew!" Somehow managing to loosen Luffy's arms, he stared up at the child blankly, as always unnerved by the intense gaze he received in return.

"I told you, I'm not joining. I have my own crew," he said evenly, the words practically a reflex already after the agonizingly long hours he'd spent with the child. It seemed Luffy simply didn't understand the meaning of the word no.

The blonde chuckled at Azure's words. "Good luck with that," he said amusedly. "Ace and I were the same once. Now we're all brothers." So the blonde was one of the mysterious brothers? He certainly was nothing like Azure had expected. Particularly his age had caught him off guard – he'd presumed that since Luffy was allowed to live on the ship, one of his brothers would be the captain. Of course, there was still the possibility of this Ace taking care of both of his younger brothers.

"Anyways, I really want to get Finn onto the ship. I don't think he should be walking around," the boy said, looking worriedly at the dark-haired teenager who seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. Now that Azure looked at the trio more closely, he noticed that the woman's body was littered with bruises and cuts as well, her clothes covered in dirt. It seemed the entire crew was talented at finding trouble.

"I doubt they're just going to let you pass," Azure stated, looking at the fluctuating mass of opponents the crew faced. While the two fighters seemed to have little trouble holding their own, Murray continuously got reinforcements. At the rate they were going, it probably wouldn't be long until Shooter himself showed up.

Following his line of sight, the kid nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right. I can't even really fight since I have to carry Finn," he muttered, turning his eyes towards Azure. "Oi, Lu, you up for some action?"

"Sure!" Luffy shouted enthusiastically, bouncing up and down on Azure's shoulders. Instantly, he tightened his grip on the kid's legs, both to stop him from falling off and from rushing into danger.

"No. You're staying right here," Azure ground out with an edge to his voice. He glared at the blonde, who was looking back at him in amusement. "He's just a kid, and you want to throw him out as bait? What kind of shitty brother are you?"

Maybe he'd let his composure slip a bit too much. Yet somehow, that seemed inevitable ever since Luffy got involved. The kid had torn through the walls he'd carefully built up around himself, endearing himself to Azure despite or maybe because of his naively joyful manner. In any case, he wouldn't simply let the kid rush to his death.

Not to mention that Amaryllis would never forgive him. The blonde woman had already stepped forward, shielding Azure and more importantly Luffy, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword tightly. The fierce look on her face didn't fit her usually gentle demeanour, but then again, they were potentially heading into a fight.

"Trust me, Luffy could take them on just fine," Sabo finally said, scrutinizing them with a gaze at least as intense as Luffy's. Something about those kids was decidedly abnormal. "But if you insist ... I think it's about time Ace got off his butt, anyways."

With those words, he turned his head back towards the ship, staying silent for such a long time that Azure thought he might have changed his mind after all. It would probably be wiser to simply wait for the fight to come to a close, no matter the outcome, and let the teenager rest on the ground until then.

Suddenly, a bright flare of fire lit up the docks. Surprised at the sudden light, Francis shielded his eyes, blinking through the heat when they'd adapted to the brightness.

In one swift stroke, all of the remaining combatants had been incapacitated, only the two fighters from Luffy's crew standing unharmed, though looking a bit winded. In front of them was a figure at least a head smaller than the other two, fire still crackling all over his features.

"Isn't that –" Amaryllis stuttered wide-eyed, the grip on her hilt tightening. Azure didn't need to guess what she was thinking. If he'd run into the teen without the flashy spectacle, he might not have recognised him on sight, but with the flames surrounding him as they'd done on his wanted poster, it was impossible not to identify him as the Pirate King's son. The one the papers had talked about non-stop ever since he'd blown up the execution platform in Logue Town.

"Sorry for butting into your fight," the burning boy drawled, his voice much younger than Azure would have expected from the newspaper articles. "It's Sabo's fault. Apparently, he doesn't think you can win against that bunch of weaklings."

"Oi, don't put words in my mouth," the blonde – Sabo? – next to him cut in, walking towards the ship with Finn and Ivy. "I just wanted to get Finn to Beckett as soon as possible, and Azure wouldn't let Luffy fight."

Instantly, Azure and Amaryllis were being scrutinized again as Ace strolled closer to them while Sabo continued on his way. "Azure, huh? Have you been recruiting, Luffy?" Azure had to hand it to him – the young teen did cut an impressive figure considering his age, the freckles probably making him seem younger than he was. "I'm Gol D. Ace. Thanks for taking care of my little brother!"

Azure blinked in surprise. The kid was certainly nothing like he'd expected, the polite manners particularly weren't something he'd ever thought he'd see on a pirate, much less the son of the most notorious one. "It was no problem," Azure muttered without thinking, the entire exhausting day popping into his mind as he said those words. Right. No trouble at all.

Ace sent him a knowing smile. Maybe his true feelings hadn't been as discreet as he was used to. "You'll fit right in, then!" Azure spluttered, but didn't get the chance to protest due to the new arrivals at the docks. Well. It was unlikely anyone would have listened to him anyways, if Luffy was any indication.

"What is going on here?" the raspy voice of the ruler of Cannon Island boomed through the docks. Shooter threateningly stomped closer to the scene of the fight, his huge, bulky body towering over Ace as he chose the group standing farther away from the ship, much to Azure's displeasure. It seemed that his wish to stay out of this fight would remain unfulfilled.

Ace turned around on his heels, smirking up at the man. "Who're you?" he asked, casually putting his hands into the pockets of his cargo shorts as if Shooter only wanted to chat with him instead of the utter annihilation he'd probably planned.

A huge cloud of smoke billowed out of the leader's mouth, enveloping Ace, Azure barely suppressing a cough as remnants of the cloud reached them. Ace, on the other hand, didn't appear to be bothered in the slightest. "Tch," Shooter said disparagingly, the tiny sound the only warning they would get.

A giant, shiny fist came down on the spot where Ace had stood only a second ago, leaving a massive crater in the ground. Immediately, Azure danced back as well, his eyes finding Amaryllis', the woman immediately picking up on his unvoiced command to get out of there. She didn't seem inclined to follow his orders, though, continuing to stay in front of him with a hand on her sword, since Azure was basically unable to fight with Luffy to watch out for.

While Azure very much wanted to curse her for deliberately standing in harm's way, it wouldn't be Amaryllis if she'd listened to his wishes right now. She'd always been foolish like that – putting herself in danger to protect him and the many others she cared about. Guilt rose up in his chest. If it wasn't for him, she'd never have been put into situations she had to choose between herself and others.

As Luffy started to fidget, Azure instinctively tightened the grip on his legs again. Even the hand suddenly appearing on his left wrist didn't make him let go. "Small fry or boss, Lu?" Azure didn't know where Ace had come from, but he definitely didn't approve of the brothers' tendency to throw their little brother onto the battlefield.

He tried to free himself from Ace's grip, but the teen possessed an inhuman strength. Not to mention that his room for manoeuvring was greatly limited by the fact that he absolutely would not let go off Luffy any time soon. "Boss!" said child shouted cheerfully, Azure clenching his jaw. No way he'd let Luffy get within arm's reach of Shooter.

"Trust my honed big brother instincts, and let Luffy go now," Ace stated jovially, his eyes boring into Azure's black ones, "or you'll get drawn into the fight in a very uncomfortable manner." Was that a threat? Azure looked at the teen blankly, unable to figure him out.

This was the second time one of Luffy's family was willing to let the child rush into a fight without a second thought to the injuries he was sure to sustain. Logically, there were only two possible reasons, really – either they didn't care about Luffy at all, indifferent whether he lived or died. Or Luffy wasn't as weak as children usually were.

So far, Azure had been inclined to choose the first option. The fact alone that Luffy had snuck onto a strange ship for food didn't paint his brothers in a very favourable light. Yet, having met both of them now, he wasn't sure what to think anymore. The two brothers were not only much younger than Azure had pictured them, but they also didn't appear to be abusive or neglectful in the slightest. The looks they shot the younger child were adoring at best, teasing at worst.

Luffy's actions were another point in favour of his second theory. The way he'd stood up to Murray without a second of hesitation, as if he knew that the man could never be a threat to him. Or how he was now itching to jump into the fight, despite having seen the strength Shooter possessed. Of course, he was just a kid, so it was also possible that all of that was simply childish overconfidence.

The grip on his wrist tightened a fraction, Ace's eyes narrowed now. "I appreciate that you want to protect him, I really do, but it's unnecessary," the teen said seriously. "Give Luffy the chance to prove himself to you as a captain."

As captain? At first, his mind screamed in disbelief, calling the mere notion of calling a child captain ridiculous. Yet unwittingly, flashes of what he'd seen in the kitchen popped up, Luffy's utter dedication to his dream and his fierce protectiveness of people he'd only just met having left enough of an impression for him to decide to spend the day with him.

Due to the carefree and overly enthusiastic manner Luffy'd displayed the rest of their time together, he hadn't exactly forgotten those events, but he'd sort of dismissed them as a fluke, judging the kid to be too much of an airhead for his memories to be accurate. But maybe ... Azure looked hesitantly up at the child, Luffy beaming down at him with his broad, confident grin.

Reluctantly, Azure let go off Luffy's legs at last, the kid jumping off his shoulders in a flash. Absent-mindedly, he registered Amaryllis screaming at him, punching his chest when he didn't react to her fury, but Azure only grabbed her forearms, pulling her close. Not for a second did his eyes leave the child strolling up to the hulking form of Shooter, praying that he hadn't just made a terrible mistake.

The sounds of the battle around him seemed somehow muffled to him, the fight between Luffy's crew and the thugs Shooter had brought with him passing by unnoticed. Later, he'd realise that Ace had stayed close the entire time, blocking any and all attempts on Amaryllis and him.

His heart almost stopped when Shooter's eyes finally fell on Luffy in front of him, punching at the child dismissively while lighting a new cigar with his other hand. Azure's hands tightened around Amaryllis' arms, the woman having buried her head in his shoulder. But Luffy leaned out of the way casually, looking almost bored, Shooter's fist missing his head by an inch.

The man seemed to pause briefly, looking at the child like he was an annoying fly. Inhaling the smoke deeply, he threw another punch, Luffy moving out of the way again, though this time, he jumped closer to his opponent, throwing back his hands which stretched back inhumanly, crashing into Shooter's chest at an immense speed.

The boss only skidded back a few feet, looking none the worse for the wear. He opened his mouth to say something, but the sounds didn't reach Azure. Nothing reached his mind besides Luffy's defiant form, staring up at the shining steel chest of his opponent.

At the back of his mind, Azure remembered what he'd heard about the illustrious leader of Cannon Island. After having failed in the Grand Line, Shooter had chosen No Man's land as his base to live a more comfortable and risk-free life. Though having a bounty of 57 million, the marines left him alone for the most part since he kept a lot of pirates from truly entering the Grand Line by hiring or threatening them into submission, going as far as to sell them into slavery. His greatest asset was his Devil Fruit, allowing his body to become as hard as steel.

While it didn't give him much of an advantage in the rest of the Grand Line, it allowed him to easily overpower most of the fresh rookies landing on their first island often backed up by little more than enthusiasm and overconfidence, leaving his position relatively unchallenged for the past two years.

Would today be the day Shooter would be taken down? As he watched Luffy evading the fists coming down on him ever faster, Azure couldn't help but pray. Yet his silent, desperate pleas weren't for the safety of his own crew, who, after the events of this day, would surely suffer repercussions for their captain's presence on this battlefield.

No, his thoughts went out to the enigmatic child that had changed his outlook on life within only a few hours of knowing him. Even if Luffy seemed naive, the way he saw the world, how he looked at this rundown town and discovered beauty and mysteries nobody else could see, how he simply accepted people the way they were, all of this was so terribly refreshing. It had rekindled the hope for a happy ending Azure hadn't known he'd still held hidden somewhere deep in his heart.

"Hey, Azure!" Luffy had actually had the nerve to turn his back on Shooter, avoiding the incoming blows even if he had no way of knowing where they came from. "When I win this fight, will you join my crew?"

When, not if. Meeting Luffy's determined stare, it was as if Azure's mouth moved of its own. "Yes."

Maybe Luffy was the one who could show him what life really was about.

xXx

 _A/N: So, Chapter 4, everyone! Sorry it took so long. Since the chapter revolved a lot around my OCs, I needed to put a lot of thought into their backstories, and where I want them to go over the course of this story. I refuse to have original characters without original stories and personalities, and yes, they are essential to my planned plot line, to all those who were wondering. Unfortunately, I can't build a crew only with canon characters at this point in the timeline._

 _That being said, for all those who prefer reading about established characters, next chapter will have some familiar faces (not sure quite how many, but I live to surprise myself)._

 _To answer a few questions from the comments:_

 _1) No, so far, I'm not planning to give Sabo a Devil Fruit, because someone needs to save our anchors, and, as Sabo said himself, he's plenty strong without a Devil Fruit._

 _2) Not sure about Ace's epiphet yet - I was actually planning to just keep calling him Firefist, though Pirate Prince does have its merits, too - feel free to tell me your thoughts on it._

 _3) Ace and Sabo are fourteen, Luffy's eleven. I think it's about July-August now? I'm not definite on the travel time and stuff._

 _4) I don't want to give too many spoilers, but since it's frequently asked, I want to emphasize: yes, the Straw Hats will join at some point, some sooner, others later. But it's still rather far into the future, since they're either too young, or the plot line doesn't allow it. Besides, this story is centered around ASL. If you're reading this to see the Straw Hat crew in action, you'll remain disappointed for a long time still, I'm afraid._

 _5) I'm definitely giving Sabo Conqueror's Haki, too, simply because it fits him as well as the other two brothers. And he was the second in command of the Revolutionary army. I feel like he'd have it._

 _6) The voice of all things, the Poneglyphs, the Lost Century, Raftel - all still in development. Besides, spoilers!_

 _7) I might write an out-take with the Whitebeards' reactions to Ace's appearance, if you're interested. I was originally planning to write it anyways, but somehow, I forgot? *Laughing awkwardly* Tell me if you want to read it!_

 _8) The log pose Ace received does not point to Raftel, or Baterilla, or any other specific island. It's just a plain old Paradise log pose. Just to give Ace something of his dad's, really. Sorry if that was misleading._

 _So, I think that was everything. One thing I still want to say pre-emptively: While Finn is going to become one of my most important OCs, he will not become brothers with ASL (Sabo sharing Sake casually is not the same as swearing a bond of brotherhood). The three brothers simply have too much history together (a whole other life, in fact) that I can't imagine anyone fitting into that close-knit trio._

 _Right, I hope you enjoyed the chapter (For all those who actually read the Author's notes)! Reviews make my day!_


	5. The stowaway

**Chapter 5: The stowaway**

Francis' entire attention lay on the surface in front of him as he used one of his knives to carefully carve their pirate mark into the dining table Shooter had probably used to entertain his guests after their business was done. It had been a while since he'd been artistically active, but he felt that this was a good cause to take up his old passion.

Unfortunately, years of neglecting his skills had clearly had a negative effect. He could only hope that when he was finished, his piece of art would be recognisable as what it was supposed to be. It would be a pity to leave an ugly mark to symbolise their conquest.

With the skull finished and at least presentable, Francis got started on the herculean task of carving those blasted curved horns. How Ace had drawn them on their flags so impeccably was a mystery to him. Maybe he should ask him for some art lessons in addition to their more violent counterparts.

As the door opened, Francis momentarily looked up from his work. Maybe one of the brothers would finally deign to show up and tell him why they called him to their castle today. They actually had a castle now. This was definitely not what Francis had expected to happen on their first island.

After the fight against Shooter had decisively ended in their favour, the crowd had been quick to announce the captains of the ASL pirates to be the new rulers of the island. Apparently, they were used to passing on their leadership by right of conquest. While Francis would never claim not to enjoy the royal treatment that was bestowed on them now, he couldn't help but wonder what the brats were planning to do now.

So far, they'd never been in the sharing mood when it came to what they had in mind for the future. However, since Luffy claimed he'd be the Pirate king at every possible moment, Francis very much doubted they'd be willing to stay on the first island of the Grand Line. Their ambitions were far too grand to be halted already.

Sadly, it wasn't any of the brothers who'd entered the hall. Instead, the strange looking man Luffy'd been with yesterday strolled in, looking around the room with apprehension. His eyes quickly found Francis, the man only barely managing to suppress a shudder at the dark abyss he found himself looking into. He hadn't known that people could actually have black eyes. "Ace told Amaryllis to tell me to come here?"

Francis wasn't entirely sure why the man had phrased that as a question, nor did he know which kind of answer he expected. Knowing the brothers, though, he was probably simply overwhelmed, a feeling Francis believed he himself was slowly growing out of. "Yeah, Sabo told me to come here as well. I'm sure they'll show up soon."

Stabbing his knife next to his half-finished mark, Francis stood up, walking to the man still standing in front of the closed door. It was rare for him to meet someone who was of equal height as he was, the feeling of not looking down on someone a tiny bit upsetting to him.

Not to mention that the man didn't look any less strange up close. Under the black bandana, Francis could now see flashes of navy blue, his hair actually ending almost precisely at his chin. But the most unsettling thing besides the eyes was definitely his skin. It was white. Not just incredibly pale, like Dante's was, but actually as white as a sheet of paper.

Realising that he was staring, Francis hastened to open his mouth. "I'm Francis, first mate of the ASL pirates." He held out his hand, which the other man grasped without hesitation.

"I'm Azure." He paused, letting go off Francis' hand. "Right now, I'm still the captain of the Austin pirates, but I think that's about to change. Luffy can be very convincing if he wants to be." His eyes were wandering about the room again, the man probably more nervous than he wanted to let on. "He's really the captain?"

"Yup, he is, though he shares the title with his brothers," Francis answered heading back towards the seat at the end of the long table he'd chosen, Azure following behind him. "I know it's a little strange, but you get used to it. The brats are good at what they're doing."

"And Ace is really the Pirate King's son?" There was a healthy amount of scepticism in his voice, something Francis suspected they'd run into frequently. Though since neither the World Government nor the Marines had refuted his claims yet, it would probably turn into a widely accepted fact soon enough.

"He says he is, and I believe him. Ace isn't the kind of person who'd lie about something like that," Francis responded, briefly wondering whether he should divulge the identities of the other relatives to Azure ... nah. If he had to suffer through those surprises, others should too.

"I see." After that, silence fell between the two of them, only broken by the scratching noises of Francis' knife as he worked on finishing the left horn of the skull. It looked a little crooked in the wrong places, but all in all, it shared a lot of similarities with Ace's drawing. Hopefully, he'd do a better job on the right horn.

Finally, the door at their end of the hall opened, the three brothers entering together. Ace and Sabo still appeared to be in deep conversation, while Luffy immediately bounded onto the table, sitting down cross-legged next to Francis' carving. "Azure! You came!" the boy happily shouted, beaming at the blue-haired man.

"Of course I did," he said, his voice lightly tinted with fondness, if Francis wasn't mistaken, though his face remained blank. How anyone could look this emotionless, and why anyone would even want to appear this cold was a mystery to Francis.

"Welcome to the first board meeting of the Devilspawn pirates," Ace announced as he and Sabo stopped at the head of the table, standing left and right of the empty chair in front of it. "Get off the table, Luffy, you're ruining the moment," Ace added more quietly, frowning at the younger boy.

Luffy stuck out his tongue, but followed Ace's instructions, sitting down on the chair between his two older brothers. "Since when do we have a board?" Francis couldn't help but ask as Ace and Sabo took two chairs from the other side of the table, putting them in the spots where they'd previously stood.

"Since now," Sabo commented cleverly, "hence the word first." Ace rolled his eyes at his brother's words, but didn't say anything about the smart-ass answer.

"We didn't actually think it'd be necessary this soon, but I presume you won't want to abandon your crew, Azure?" Ace addressed the new crew member, who almost started at being called on so early. Well, at least that's what Francis would have done if he was in Azure's position. The other man, though, seemed to be perfectly calm and composed. It was beginning to really unnerve Francis.

"I would prefer that, yes. I have been wondering how I'm supposed to tell them that their captain's leaving the crew when we've just travelled to the Grand Line together," Azure answered, his creepy eyes fixed on Ace. "I can't guarantee that all of them will stay, of course. I won't force them to follow new captains if they don't approve of you."

Francis bristled at his words, but remained quiet, knowing it was probably not meant to be an insult. Since Azure was joining the crew, he'd clearly seen something in his future captains, just like Francis had from the first day on, even if he still couldn't quite put his finger on it. Sure, they were good kids with great intentions and grand ambitions, and they were better leaders than Francis had ever expected, but it felt like there was still more to them he didn't know.

"That's fine, everyone's free to do what they want!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning his usual bright grin. Francis could count the number of times he'd seen him without it on one hand. Just spending a few seconds in the child's presence was sure to dispel even the deepest depression.

"Good, you're going to be our first commander, then, provided you can hold your own in a fight," Ace stated, Azure's eyes immediately flitting over to look at Francis. The (former?) first mate tried very hard not to let it bother him. After all, if that was his captains' decision, he could do nothing but accept it. If they thought that Azure was better suited for the position, who was he to protest?

Oh, who was he trying to deceive? Of course, it bothered him. Besides losing the fight against Arlong, he couldn't think of anything he'd done that could have disappointed his captains. Did they simply think he wasn't suited for command? But hadn't he successfully led a pirate crew for several years? Or was he simply to weak a fighter for their tastes?

"Don't pull such a grim face, Francis, it doesn't suit you," Sabo said lazily, cupping his chin in his left hand. Obviously, his thoughts didn't remain as unnoticed as he'd expected, but then again, he'd never bothered with hiding his emotions. "You're naturally still our first mate. Those two positions are completely separate."

"You're our original crew, so you're not going to be part of any of the units," Luffy said surprisingly calmly. Relief lightened Francis' heavy heart, a tiny smile spreading on his face. So he hadn't done anything wrong, after all.

"Don't scare me like that, you brats," he growled, but there was no real heat in his reprimand. The boys snickered at his words. Damn. He'd probably never be able live this down. From the looks on their faces, they'd tease him about it for years to come.

"Well, now that's cleared up, there's the matter of the second commander," Ace continued, earning himself a surprised and questioning glance both from Francis and Azure. Had they recruited a second crew in the few hours since he'd last seen the brothers? If they continued like that, Francis doubted that there'd be enough room on the ship. They hadn't even talked about the size of Azure's crew yet.

"We made a trip down to the slavers' establishments this morning," Sabo explained. "While most of the slaves are happy to stay on this island, or are planning to return to their previous homes, there's seventeen very grateful former pirates who've asked to join our crew."

"You freed the slaves?" Azure exclaimed in surprise, the first real reaction Francis had seen from the man. Granted, it was an unusual move for pirates, who were usually considered anything but heroes. But knowing about Luffy's father, not to mention the boys' general attitude towards freedom of choice, Francis had expected something like this to happen ever since he'd heard about the illegal trade happening on this island.

"Of course, we did," Sabo replied indignantly. "Slavery's the most disgusting practice the World Government's come up with so far. We're not going to tolerate it when we can do something about it."

"Anyways, we don't know any of those pirates," Ace cut in before Sabo could get any more worked up. Huh. It seemed the blonde brother was the one who had the strongest opinions about the government. "And they don't even really know each other. We need someone we can trust to lead them."

"We're thinking Finn," Luffy said, his face unusually serious. "He's not been a pirate very long, but he's been working very hard. We hope that he'll grow with the responsibility."

Francis looked at the brothers pensively. The idea had merit, for sure. After Finn's second defeat yesterday, especially since he hadn't even been given the opportunity to defend himself, to say that he'd been down would be putting it lightly. This might be the right incentive to get him back into the game.

The only question was whether he'd accept the position. Finn had always been insecure about his decisions and his abilities, and it was more than likely that the recent defeat had worsened that attitude.

Catching the expectant looks from the brothers, Francis explained his thoughts. "You should offer it to him, at least. You're right, he's the one best suited for the position in our crew. Dante and Beckett are out of the question, Zandra's, well, you know, Zandra, Ivy's too quiet to handle a leadership position on her own and Goode – this might be a bit selfish, but Goode and I've been working together for years. I'd appreciate it if you didn't separate us. We'd only be half as useful."

He didn't care if he sounded like he was dependent on Goode, because, frankly speaking, he was. If not for his best friend's unfaltering support ever since he'd broken with his father, along with Dante's reliable guidance, his newly founded crew wouldn't have even made it out of the West Blue.

"Still, Finn's inexperienced. It might be difficult for him to get the respect of all those pirates. I'm sure almost all of them will have sailed the seas longer than he has," Francis added as an afterthought. However, he wasn't actually too worried about that. After all, they were calling three kids their captains on this crew – it was pretty clear that experience wasn't everything.

"Well, it's not like we're going to drop him in their midst and abandon him," Ace said sarcastically. "But I know what you mean. Maybe if we gave him Ivy as back-up? She's been with your crew for four years now, right? The two seem to be pretty close, too," he added more seriously.

"Yeah, that's probably a good plan," Francis replied. It would remain to be seen how this decision would work out. If there were any problems, they'd likely get to deal with them in the second board meeting.

"Good. We'll talk about all our new members' accommodations when Azure can tell us how many people from his crew will join," Ace continued, nodding towards the blue-haired commander. "The last thing on our agenda is this island, and what we're going to do with it. We can hardly stay here to rule it."

"I told you before, Ace, we should just call Luffy's dad," Sabo cut in with an annoyed voice from his little brother's other side. "I'm sure he has some people on this island who could take over for us. There, problem solved."

Luffy laughed enthusiastically. "Yeah! Let's call dad!"

Yet Ace only scowled at his brothers' words. "And I told you before, we don't need his help! We can handle this on our own. I'm sure we can find someone to rule this island in our stead without his advice."

"I'm afraid I'm at a disadvantage here," Azure piped up. "Who's Luffy's dad, and how would calling him help with this situation?"

Francis leaned back in his chair, smirking at the first commander. "Oh, you know – just Dragon the Revolutionary." It was quite enjoyable to watch the stoic man's mask crumble to pieces as plain shock was written onto his face. Oh yes. Francis could empathize completely. "Remember this feeling," Francis added jokingly, putting a hand on the other man's shoulder. "With these three, you'll never run out of it."

"Right," Azure responded shakily, his eyes fixed on Luffy in disbelief. The child returned his gaze steadily, the air vibrating with his signature laugh.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that? Shishishishishi!" The blonde brother only rolled his eyes at Luffy's antics, lightly punching him on the head, while Ace crossed his arms, now even physically demonstrating his unwillingness to talk to Dragon.

Francis couldn't help but wonder about their history with the man. He very much doubted that Dragon had a lot of free time to spend with his son, but still, Sabo and Luffy seemed to be pretty close to the man. Ace, on the other hand, apparently held some sort of grudge against him. However, Francis decided not to pry. The kids always tended to get touchy when their blood relations came up.

"I think it's the easiest solution as well," Francis said instead. "It would take too long to look for someone suitable. You said something about setting sail again in four days, didn't you?" It had been a pleasant surprise when he'd overheard their conversation with Dante. Spending a month on this island didn't seem very appealing to him.

"Yeah, that's when Azure's log pose will set," Sabo explained, only to be interrupted by his dark-haired brother.

"Just because it's the easiest way doesn't mean it's the right way," Ace stated petulantly, looking at them with a challenging look, daring them to refute his words.

Of course, Sabo immediately owned up to the challenge. "Cheesy proverbs won't win this argument, Ace. You're outvoted. We're calling Dragon."

xXx

In the shadows of another room, far deeper into the Grand Line, a tall man lounged comfortably, listening to the Den Den Mushi in front of him with a displeased frown. "Shooter has been defeated, sir! I'm sorry, we couldn't do anything! We'll have to move out soon, the new rulers have already taken out the slavers."

"Oh? They freed the slaves?" the man asked in an interested voice. "Who are the culprits?"

"Gol D. Ace, sir! Gol D. Ace and his two brothers!"

"I see," he drawled, ending the call, adjusting his fancy sunglasses. "Gol D. Ace, huh. What a foolish boy. Are you trying to challenge the gods?"

xXx

"No."

"What? Why not?" Luffy shouted surprised, grabbing the other boy by the shoulders. "You'd be a great commander, Finn! You have to take it!"

Ivy looked at the teenager in sorrow as he crossed his arms, shaking off Luffy's hands. "I said no. I don't need your pity," he growled, standing up from the couch in the captains' cabin. "Give the position to someone who's actually good enough for it, like Ivy or Goode."

As he put a hand on the door knob, a rubbery limb extended towards him, Luffy's hand grabbing Finn's wrist. "It's not pity!" he protested loudly. "We want you to be the second commander, not someone else. You deserve it!"

"Stop lying to me!" Finn screamed in response, looking more furious than Ivy had ever seen him. "I've been nothing but a failure ever since I got on board of this ship. Don't even try to claim otherwise," he continued more quietly, his voice cold as he opened the door, slapping Luffy's hand away. "Just leave me alone."

"Finn ..." Ivy said shakily, but the boy was already out of the door, leaving her alone with Luffy. The child was sitting on his bed, unusually quiet, his eyes shadowed by his straw hat. She looked at him uncertainly, waiting for Luffy to say something. But he stayed quiet, the atmosphere in the room growing more and more upsetting. "I'll go after him," Ivy finally stated, rising from the sofa as well.

"Don't." Luffy finally spoke, slamming the door shut before Ivy could leave the room. She stared at him incredulously, unable to believe her ears. "Finn said he wanted to be alone, so leave him be for now."

"What? No, I won't!" Ivy shouted angrily. "You saw what he looked like right now! I can't just leave him alone when he's so ..." Desperate. Furious with himself. Blaming himself for something that was not his fault. "I won't let him suffer on his own."

"Don't push him now," Luffy said strictly, looking up at Ivy with eyes that seemed so much older than the child actually was. "He's just been defeated, for the second time, and this time, you got hurt because he was too weak. That's not something he's just going to forgive and forget."

"Finn's not weak," Ivy snapped, his words infuriating her even further. Luffy might be her captain, but there were limits to what she'd tolerate when her friends were concerned. "What happened wasn't his fault! There was nothing he could have done short of reading the future!"

"You know that, I know that, and Finn probably knows that, too," Luffy replied, his fist clenched tightly, "but right now, he doesn't care. If you go to him now and try to comfort him, or worse, try to make light of the situation, I'm scared of what he might do."

His shaky tone made Ivy pause. Looking at the child objectively, fighting through the red haze of rage that had impaired her vision, she realised how sad, almost despairing Luffy seemed to be. Considering she'd never seen the boy without a smile on his face, the picture was incredibly worrying. What was Luffy so scared of to look like that?

Immediately, Ivy recalled the words he'd uttered only seconds before. He was afraid of what Finn might do. Her breath hitched. "You don't think he'll leave the crew?" Ivy asked in a small voice, wrapping her arms around her own torso as her chest tightened. Despite their age difference, Ivy'd grown incredibly close to Finn since he'd joined the crew. If he were to leave ...

"It wouldn't be the first time a pirate left his crew because he thought he was holding them back," Luffy whispered in a broken voice, hugging his knees to his chest. "Being a captain is hard," he muttered quietly after a short pause, but he looked up at Ivy with his fierce gaze none the milder. "Just please, promise me you'll give him some time. This is something he needs to work through on his own if he wants to make progress."

Ivy looked at him blankly. Somehow, during his first few words, it sounded almost like Luffy was talking from experience – but that was impossible, right? If an eleven-year-old captain already sounded ridiculous, it would be even less feasible for a younger child, no matter how monstrous the three brothers were in terms of strength.

No, of course Luffy couldn't have experienced this before, but maybe he had a mentor at some point who'd gone through a similar thing. In any case, it didn't matter. Luffy was clearly resolved to leave Finn alone right now, and with his reasoning, she could understand his concern. "Okay," Ivy finally replied, turning away from Luffy to walk towards the door, "but if he isn't on the ship when we set sail tomorrow, I'm not going to leave him."

Since Luffy stayed silent, Ivy considered herself dismissed, walking out of the room to head towards the main deck. As she stepped outside, she was momentarily overwhelmed by the picture offered to her.

The ship was filled with people Ivy had never seen before, carrying chests, bags and, strangely enough, various kinds of different pets as they made their way down to their quarters. Right. Today was the day all their new members were moving in. It still seemed surreal to Ivy, just how much their crew had grown only by visiting the first island.

While when they'd first set sail with their new captains, they'd barely been enough people to man the ship, now there were seventeen pirates who'd fallen victim to the slavers, plus the twenty-four people the new first commander had brought with him, since his crew members had unanimously decided to follow their captain's example. Suffice to say, with a total of 52 people now living on the Tigris, it would probably start to get a little crowded.

Walking down the stairs towards the main deck, Ivy looked for a familiar face in the crowd, almost stumbling over a tiny orange kitten on the way. Taking pity on the little thing, she bent down to pick it up before someone actually stepped on it. Immediately, the cat snuggled into her arms, its entire body shaking due to the distress of its unfamiliar and hectic surroundings.

Finally spotting Goode amongst all those other people, Ivy walked towards the main mast the cook stood in front of, giving directions to any and all pirates walking onto the ship. If Ivy had to guess, she'd say that Francis had saddled him with that task, the first mate off God knows where.

"What's with all the pets?" she hissed at him as she arrived at her intended spot, Goode sending her and more specifically her kitten an amused look.

"Apparently, Azure's girlfriend has a weakness for cute, fluffy things," he replied jokingly, the blue-haired man shooting Goode an annoyed look from his position at the railing of the ship. "But he's limited it to the number of his crew mates, at least."

The first commander strolled towards the duo, apparently already used to the cook's constant teasing. "She's not my girlfriend," he said in an even tone, the rehearsed manner he delivered his words in indicating that this wasn't the first time the two had had that conversation.

"You sure about that?" Goode asked with a smirk, slinging an arm around the taller man, forcing him to bend down awkwardly. It didn't seem to bother Azure much, although Ivy had heard from Francis that the man hardly reacted to anything. "Because the looks she's sending you sure say otherwise!" Goode added, waggling with his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yes, I'm sure," Azure stated drily, "she's my cook, nothing more." Shoving Goode off him with a strength Ivy hadn't expected from his lean body, the man turned towards her, his frightening eyes peering down at her emotionlessly. "How did your talk with Luffy go?"

Suspiciously, she returned his gaze, though she doubted she'd be able to stand up to him for too long. How did he know about their conversation? But before she could ask her question, the answer popped into her hand. First commander. It actually wasn't unlikely that the captains had talked this over with him before even asking Finn himself. Dropping her eyes, she petted her furry companion, blinking away the tears in the corners of her eyes as she remembered Finn's anger. "Badly."

"So Finn refused?" Goode asked worriedly, his usual joking attitude gone. Ivy clenched her jaw, suddenly wishing to be anywhere but here. The cook sighed at her lack of response, probably guessing the answer anyway. Had everyone been in on this but her? "Are you okay?"

Meeting his concerned eyes briefly, Ivy gulped, her throat uncomfortably dry. "Me? Yeah. Finn, not so much," she replied, almost choking on the words. "I'm really worried about him." Goode cursed under his breath.

"I should go see Luffy, anyways," Azure said, probably feeling uncomfortable in the tense atmosphere, especially since he didn't know Finn at all. "He's still in his cabin?" Ivy nodded in response, not looking up from her kitten.

"Luffy told me not to go after him," Ivy said quietly after the first commander had left. "He said that I should respect his wish to be alone right now."

"But you don't agree with him," Goode added her unspoken words. Ivy looked up at his understanding face without hesitation, much unlike when she'd been new to the crew. Goode had frightened her more than anyone, scars from his numerous sword fights littering his face and body. But despite his rough exterior, the man had a good heart, caring deeply for all the members of his crew as a proper first mate should.

"He has good reasons for why he wants me to leave Finn alone," Ivy contradicted, her voice shaky. "I just ... I'd just feel better if I was with him, if I could talk to him, if ... if I could make sure that he doesn't come up with any stupid thoughts," she stuttered, tears dropping down her cheeks at last.

"Hey, hey," Goode whispered comfortingly, drawing her into his arms. Ivy instinctively buried her head in his shoulder while still being careful not to squish the kitten cuddled against her chest. "It's all going to turn out okay, you'll see. Finn's going to be fine," he murmured, many more soft words tumbling from his mouth until Ivy'd finally calmed down again.

"Sorry about that," Ivy said awkwardly, as always when she became overly emotional. Embarrassingly enough, this had hardly been the first time Goode had been the one to comfort her, the cook likely the one who knew her doubts and fears the best.

"Don't worry about it," he softly replied, one of his hands still on her crossed forearms the orange cat was now crawling out from, its tiny claws digging painfully through Ivy's clothes into her skin as it climbed up to her shoulder. "I'm always there to give you a shoulder to cry on, remember?"

She smiled at him warmly, feeling a lot better already despite the situation with Finn being anything but resolved. "Yeah, I know," she responded, her voice much more steady now. "Thank you, Goode." He squeezed her arms reassuringly again, before focussing on the scene behind her back. Turning around as well, her eyes immediately found the figure of her youngest captain, standing several feet apart from his first commander, who was pocketing his black leather gloves.

"A serious fight, huh?" the man asked, flexing his fingers. Though Ivy stood nearer to Luffy, Azure's nails looked somewhat peculiar even from her point of few, but then again, his entire appearance was rather unnerving.

The two had already gathered a few onlookers, the new crew members pausing in their activities in anticipation of the fight. Luffy grinned at the man, any traces of his previous despair gone. In fact, looking at the boy now, it was practically impossible to imagine him looking so down. If Ivy hadn't been there herself, she'd doubt he could even feel any emotion other than joy. "Of course! We still don't know what you're capable of!"

"Alright, then," Azure said seriously, dropping his arms to his sides, his posture relaxed despite his words. "Attack me, captain." Ivy's eyebrows shot up. That was certainly a bold statement for a man who'd seen the boy punch through steel just a few days ago.

Whether Luffy thought the same thing as her would likely remain a mystery, since he didn't hesitate in attacking his commander. Throwing back his right arm, he shouted, "Gomu Gomu no ..." his clenched fist flying towards Azure, "Pistol!"

Surprisingly, the man didn't move out of the way, instead only lifting his hand almost lazily, palm outstretched towards Luffy's punch. Only a fraction of a second before Luffy would have hit him, the boy suddenly halted his movements, snapping his arm back into its original form. Slowly, Azure dropped his hand again, the two fighting an intense match only with their stares.

"What's going on?" Ivy whispered at Goode, the man only shrugging in response. Why had Luffy suddenly stopped his attack? Or was it Azure who'd prevented the boy from hitting him?

"If I'd touched you," Luffy finally spoke, his expression serious, "you'd have defeated me." Seriously? Ivy stared at the first commander in shock, his face showing no reaction to Luffy's words. He couldn't really be powerful enough to beat Luffy, could he?

"Yes, I would have," Azure replied, tilting his head slightly. "How did you know?" Observation Haki, probably. Ivy couldn't wait to awaken the power herself, the potential to improve her sniping skills enormous.

Luffy grinned at the man. "I'll teach you how later." Taking a broader stance, Luffy put a fist down on the ground, steam rising from his skin. "Gear second." In a flash, he disappeared, the same way he'd done in the fight against Shooter. That fight had truly shown her that they still hadn't seen anything of their captains' abilities yet.

Reappearing in front of Azure, the man had no choice but to take the punch to his stomach, too slow to evade or block the attack. Landing on his ass several feet behind his previous position, he grimaced, holding his likely aching belly. "It doesn't do you much good if you're not fast enough, though," Luffy stated, standing at Azure's previous spot, his posture signalising the end of the brief fight.

"True," Azure replied, standing up from the ground and walking back towards his captain.

"How does your Devil Fruit work, though?" Luffy asked curiously, poking the man's stomach, which caused him to flinch. Ivy shook her head at the child's antics. Was he trying to aggravate Azure's injuries?

The man briefly laid a hand on the kid's shoulder, the familiar gesture catching Ivy off guard. She hadn't expected him to be the kind to show his affection physically. "Come on, try to move now," Azure said with a tiny smile, causing Ivy to frown. What was he talking about?

It soon became evident as Luffy tried his best to follow Azure's instruction. He could still move his head, his arms, his feet, and, most importantly, he could still stretch far enough to practically reach wherever he wanted to, but despite all his movements, his shirt didn't move an inch. "What the heck ..." Ivy muttered, before she remembered how Azure had touched Luffy's shirt before. So it hadn't just been a gesture of fondness.

"I can freeze anything in its spot, be it objects, animals or even people," Azure explained, putting his gloves into the air, where they stayed even after he let go off them, to illustrate his words. "It lasts up to thirty seconds. If you'd punched my palm earlier, I'd have stopped you, and you wouldn't have even known I'd attacked you until after you were already defeated."

"Awesome," a young voice piped up next to Ivy, causing her to flinch in surprise. When had Sabo gotten back? "Does it only work on tangible objects, though, on things you can see and touch, or could you stop something invisible to the eye as well? Like sound, for example."

Azure's face turned pensive. "You know, I actually have no idea. I've never tried to do that before," he said, catching his gloves as they returned to reality, subsequently putting them on.

"Well, you've got something to work on, then," Sabo replied, walking up to the two to grasp Luffy's hand. He bent down to whisper something into his younger brother's ear, the boy's eyes growing wide at whatever his brother had not seen fit to share with the crew.

"Are you serious?" Luffy asked, the surprise soon replaced by slight apprehension and, more prominently, excitement as the blonde brother nodded. Without further words exchanged, the two brothers walked towards their cabin, leaving a speculating crew behind.

Ivy's eyes followed the two until they disappeared through the door. Somehow, she had a very bad feeling about this.

xXx

Luffy was leaning against the railing, drenched in the rain which had pouring from the sky for the last half hour. The deck was almost completely devoid of people, everyone having sought refuge inside to escape the downpour. Luffy didn't mind the weather, though – somehow, rain had always been calming to him, especially when accompanied by the rushing of the waves.

They'd been sailing for about three months now. Three months of training the few pirates willing to sail with a bunch of kids, three months of trying to get to know the people they'd started their voyage with. Luffy had to admit to only being partially successful – while some, like Finn, were friendly and open, others, like Zandra, rarely gave more than one-word answers.

Thus was the result of rushed recruiting. Luffy frowned, grabbing the railing a bit more tightly. And now, he could start all over again. While it had been him who'd chosen Amaryllis and Azure, he hadn't accounted for all the people they'd bring with them. And the former slaves Sabo had decided to accept into their crew had come as a surprise to Luffy, as well.

He didn't like having such a large crew. For him, his crew mates were supposed to be family, the family he'd chosen for himself. Now, that didn't seem to be a possibility anymore. While Luffy loved the idea of a big family, there were only so many hours in the day he could spend to get to know all those new people. Especially since everyone had their own personalities, their own stories, their own dreams, and not all of them were willing to share.

That was the reason for the introduction of the commanders. Seeing the rapid expansion of their crew, Ace had been quick to suggest they adopt Whitebeard's system of organisation. By putting commanders in charge of their separate units, they'd forge a liaison between the captains and the new members.

The only thing Luffy was worried about was that they were building too much of a hierarchy. Sure, he was used to being the captain, and even the commander of a fleet, but he wanted to make decisions his crew was happy with. How could he do that when he didn't know them well enough? He doubted he could truly understand the people he sailed with just by hearing about them from their commanders.

Plus, he didn't want to seem unapproachable. Granted, that was rather unlikely to happen considering his general attitude, but he knew that many amongst their crew were likely frightened of the strength the three brothers possessed. Yet he didn't have the time to reassure every single one of them.

His hat shadowing his eyes, Luffy looked towards the horizon. He missed his nakama. His original ones. He missed Zoro's grumpy attitude and how he scolded his captain impatiently whenever he thought Luffy wasn't taking things seriously enough. He missed Nami's punches when she couldn't take his idiocy any more, and how she always hogged money that would be put to much better use by buying meat.

He missed Usopp's outrageous and ridiculous lies, which Luffy couldn't help but believe, and how he always fell sick when they found another uninviting island. He missed Sanji locking the refrigerator, and how he'd kick his captain off his ship when he tried to break it open.

He missed Chopper hiding inefficiently behind a doorway, and how he'd always try to force Luffy to eat some vegetables for his health. He missed Robin's dark humour, and how she'd make him read a book to her just to make sure he didn't forget his letters.

He missed not being the biggest crybaby on the ship, though Franky was never really crying, of course. He missed Brook's skull jokes, which somehow never got old, even after years of sailing together. He missed how Jimbei always thought he knew everything better, but still let Luffy take the lead.

Luffy bit his lip as it started quivering too much. It wasn't that his new crew wasn't great, or that he regretted setting sail with his brothers instead of waiting until he was seventeen – but they still couldn't replace his nakama. Nobody ever would, not even said nakama themselves.

Seeing Nami had really driven home the fact that they were truly in the past. His navigator had looked so young, and when he hugged her, talked to her, there was no recognition in her eyes. It wasn't his Nami – she was still a crude version of the magnificent woman she would one day grow into. Having changed her past, though, it was possible she would never become the person Luffy had come to know and love.

Shaking his head, Luffy let go off the railing before he crushed it, his nails digging into his palms instead as he clenched his fists. It wouldn't do any good to ponder the past. He had chosen to sail with his brothers this time, and he would never regret it. Even if he sometimes turned around to share an inside joke with his nakama, only to remember they weren't there anymore, he would never regret it. He'd sworn to live his life without regrets.

Turning his back to the horizon where his nakama were only waiting to be recruited in due time, Luffy walked inside as well, leaving puddles wherever he stepped. If this were the Sunny, Nami would already be whipping him over the head with a mop, screaming at him not to make such a mess of things.

But this wasn't the Sunny, and the few people who did see him dripping wet only sent him curious glances, nobody daring to question their captain. Suffice to say, it did nothing to improve Luffy's already miserable mood.

Desperate for something to distract him, Luffy cast out his Observation Haki. It didn't take him long to pick out Ace and Sabo, his two brothers' presences practically second nature to him. Yet as he found them, he decided almost immediately not to bother them with his petty thoughts. Sabo was busy with some members of their second unit, having taken command of it until Finn either agreed to take over, or they found someone else suited for the position.

Ace, meanwhile, appeared to be in deep conversation with Francis, simultaneously sketching on some papers. Luffy couldn't help but laugh despite his miserable mood, earning himself dubious glances from the pirates around him. Art lessons? Seriously? His brother was showing new surprising facets every day.

Checking up on Goode, Azure, Ivy, and, after some hesitation, Finn, Luffy zeroed in on Amy, the blonde woman experiencing a mix of distress and curiosity. Realising that she was not alone, but accompanied by a familiar presence Luffy couldn't quite identify, and even better, in the food storeroom not too far away from him, he chose to search her out.

Slipping through the open door, Luffy walked closer to where Amy knelt, his sandals making wet, smacking sounds. She had a piece of raw meat in her hand, apparently trying to lure something in. Maybe one of her pets had gotten lost in the room? "Come on out, little one," Amy said in a sweet voice, motioning for Luffy to kneel down as well. "I'm sure you're hungry. Did you get onto our ship by mistake?"

There was no reaction to her words. Curious, Luffy crawled closer to her, taking a peek around the corner. Behind the crate, he caught sight of a mass of fluffy white fur, pieces of worn clothes hiding a good part of it. "You must have been in here for days! Don't you want to eat something?" Amy continued to try to sweet-talk her newest animal friend, while Luffy froze in surprise. It couldn't be.

"I don't eat raw meat!" the bear mink suddenly shouted, almost immediately dropping his head afterwards. "I'm sorry ..." Amaryllis blinked at the talking animal in shock, while Luffy laughed loudly with new-found joy. Maybe Torao was somewhere close by, as well? It would certainly be nice to see his friend – pardon, temporary ally – again.

"You can talk?!" Amy exclaimed, Bepo slumping further as he tried to make himself as small as possible. It seemed the bear was even more timid than Luffy remembered. "Oh, I mean, I've never seen a talking animal before. You're really cute!" the blonde woman quickly added, seeing Bepo's downcast expression. "Do you have a name?"

Looking at the blonde woman with apprehension, the bear stayed silent for a while. "It's Bepo," he finally said uncertainly, his eyes flitting to Luffy now as he appeared to be thinking hard. "Please don't tell anyone I'm here?"

"Why not? You're awesome!" Luffy replied, jumping forward to sit down directly in front of Bepo, stars in his eyes. Though he'd met many minks ever since he'd first run into Bepo, the bear would always remain the coolest in his heart. Well, besides maybe Carrot and Pedro. "Hey, you should join my crew!"

Would Torao be mad at him for trying to steal his crew members? Well, yes, probably, but his friend hardly ever seemed to be happy with his decisions, and still went along with them without too much protesting.

"No, I can't! And you can't tell anyone about me because I snuck on board without permission! Your captain would skin me alive!" Bepo shouted again forcefully, before immediately apologising for his behaviour quietly. "I'm sorry ..." Geez, and Luffy'd thought the bear was apologising too much before.

"..." Both Luffy and Amy stared at the bear silently for a bit, Bepo fidgeting under their blank looks. "I'm the captain," Luffy finally stated in a dry voice, causing the mink to squeak. Hadn't he known whose ship he was getting onto? It wasn't like the three brothers had exactly been discreet when they'd taken over No Man's Land.

"I'm sorry!" the bear cried again, crossing his arms over his head as if to protect himself, his entire body shaking. Luffy frowned. This couldn't possibly be his normal behaviour. No matter how timid Bepo might seem around new people, now, he looked positively terrified, trembling at facing adversity instead of growing through it.

"Hey, Bepo," Luffy said in a low voice, his hat shadowing his eyes, "did something bad happen to you?"

The bear hesitantly lowered his arms as he realised that there was no immediate threat to his person. Yet he stayed quiet, eyeing the two warily. It seemed like Luffy's impression was spot on. "You can trust us, Bepo," Amy added softly, picking up on her captain's line of thought. "We can't help you if we don't know what's troubling you."

"It's my friend," Bepo finally whispered brokenly after a few more moments of silence. "He was captured by the Marines almost a week ago. We didn't even want to go to the Grand Line! But someone was chasing Law, and we had to get away somehow, so we hid on a ship. Only it set off before we could leave again, and we ended up in that rundown town."

Luffy's heart clenched in his chest at Bepo's words. Torao was captured? But they were only at the beginning of Paradise. Surely the Marines here wouldn't be able to give his friend a lot of trouble, even if he was a few years younger.

"I don't even know why the Marines were after him!" Bepo suddenly shouted, his voice desperate. "Law told me to hide in an abandoned hut and said he'd be back later, but when he didn't come back after five days, I went looking for him. I heard that the Marines had left again on the same day, so they had to have captured him. Law'd never leave me behind!"

"It's okay, Bepo, I believe you," Luffy said seriously. Torao and Bepo had been nakama for a long time before Luffy'd ever met either of them. Of course, the surgeon wouldn't have abandoned the mink on such a criminal island if he could help it. Nakama always helped one another out.

Clenching his fist, Luffy pierced Bepo with a fierce look. Torao was his nakama, as well. "We'll find him. I promise."

xXx

Azure walked into his captains' cabin, their living and bed room serving for their board meetings as well until they could get a different room properly equipped. Immediately, his eyes found Amaryllis, who was currently handing over a plate of her excellent food to a half-grown polar bear sitting on the couch, avoiding everyone's eyes.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Azure groaned as he saw that the bear was even wearing clothes. It wasn't like he was usually greatly bothered by her somewhat eccentric habit, but this was taking it a bit too far. No wonder the poor animal looked so intimidated.

Looking up at his voice, Amaryllis beamed at him innocently. "Azure, this is Bepo. Bepo, Azure." He threw her a sceptical look, unable to believe she'd carry this joke so far. Forcing her crew mates to adopt pets was one thing, but treating a bear like it was a human was on a whole other level. Had someone messed with her head?

The bear looked up uncertainly at her words (how could a bear appear insecure?), before opening his mouth to quietly say, "Hello." Azure stared. A bear had just greeted him. A BEAR had just GREETED him. Maybe Amaryllis wasn't the only one on this ship going insane.

"Oh, the look on your face is just gold," Francis commented gleefully from his position in one of the two armchairs placed around the low glass table in front of the couch. Only now, Azure realised there were other people in the room besides Amaryllis and her bear. In fact, he was the last one to arrive, as the three brothers already huddled together on their bed, talking in low voices.

"Wait, so I'm not hallucinating?" Azure asked him incredulously, his expression turning mildly embarrassed when Francis simply laughed at the reply, the first mate's words from when they'd first met popping into his head. It seemed he hadn't been lying – the brothers indeed lived to surprise him.

"Thanks for coming so quickly, Azure," Luffy piped up from the bed, jumping up to sit down on the couch next to the talking bear. "Amy and I found Bepo hiding in one of the storage rooms. He's our first stowaway!"

"Somehow, I shudder at the word first," Francis muttered, earning himself an uncomprehending look from Luffy. Azure could empathize, though. If this was going to be a normal occurrence, he wasn't sure his nerves would be able to take it.

Seeing as Francis didn't elaborate on his thoughts, Luffy continued, "So Bepo lost his friend," he looked expectantly at the bear who murmured a name Azure didn't quite catch, "his friend Torao, and we're going to help him find him!"

"His name's Law! Trafalgar Law!" the bear suddenly shouted, looking positively incensed at Luffy's mutilation of the complicated name. Almost immediately afterwards, though, he dropped his eyes again, his previous fire extinguished. "I'm sorry ..."

"Isn't that what I said?" Luffy asked, looking confused. "So anyways, Bepo thinks that Torao was captured by the Marines. You said the next island had a Marine base, didn't you, Azure?"

"Yeah, the island's pretty pro-Marine as a whole. We need to be careful about where we'll dock," Azure answered, remembering the intel he'd gathered while they were held up on No Man's Land for a month. If he'd known just how troublesome the route he'd picked by chance was, he would have definitely put more thought into it. But then again, he hadn't actually put much thought into what he even wanted to achieve in the Grand Line at all, besides giving his crew a fresh start.

"Great! So we just need to break into the base, find someone who knows where Torao is, and make them tell us all about it, right?" Luffy said enthusiastically. "See, Bepo, nothing to worry about! We'll get him back in no time at all!" Azure couldn't help but stare at Luffy in persistent disbelief. There was so much wrong with that statement, he didn't even know where to start.

"I don't think it's going to be quite that easy to walk into a Marine base in the Grand Line," Francis deadpanned, crossing his arms behind his head as he leant back in his seat. "I hear the Marines there are fairly strong, especially compared to the trash I've faced in the East Blue. Maybe we should just keep an ear out around town, see if someone mentions your friend."

"Ah, I doubt the G-9's all that impressive," Sabo said, lounging at the edge of the bed. "The only one who might be able to give us a little bit of trouble is the base commander, depending on who it is. But even that one's probably only a vice-admiral, at most."

"At the risk of sounding like a dick," Azure cut in, unable to stay quiet any longer as they planned an assault on a Marine base, for heaven's sake, "why are we even doing this? Not that I don't feel for your friend, Bepo," he turned his eyes onto the bear, trying his best to imagine a human in its place to ignore the surrealism of the situation, "but I don't really see how it concerns any of us."

"How can you even ask that! Just look at him!" Amaryllis shouted, reminding Azure that she was still in the room despite this technically being a board meeting, which she was not a part of. But he probably shouldn't have expected the brothers to actually enforce the rules they'd put in place. Looking at it objectively, they were likely only meant to be guidelines anyway.

Putting a hand on the bear's shoulder, completely ignoring how uncomfortable and embarrassed he looked at the show of affection, the blonde cook scowled at Azure. "How can you not want to help him? Just touch his fluffy fur and look into his adorable, sad eyes, and tell me you can still say no to him!"

She couldn't possibly be serious. They were so not going to get into big trouble with the Marines and the government because a bear's fur was fluffy, not as long as Azure had anything to say about it.

Since his expression apparently said more than a thousand words (he really needed to gather his composure again, stupid talking bear), Luffy explained what was probably supposed to be his reasoning, "Bepo's going to join our crew. So of course, we're going to help him!"

Another crew member? Well, Luffy was certainly quick in recruiting new people. It seemed he and Amaryllis weren't as special a case as he'd first thought, after all. "I never said I was going to join your crew," the bear said hesitantly, looking at Luffy with apprehension. Right. Not accepting a refusal definitely seemed to be the norm for Luffy.

"It doesn't matter. You and Torao are my nakama. I'm not going to abandon you," Luffy stated resolutely. A strange atmosphere filled the room. Azure had never heard Luffy use that word before, certainly not in such a fierce, protective manner, as if he was talking about family. The only thing that overshadowed the strong emotion the boy had just displayed was the relationship with his brothers. Maybe.

What had the bear done to earn such strong affection in only a few short hours? From what he'd seen, Luffy didn't even treat his original crew members with as much affection as he showed right now. It seemed Bepo hadn't expected it either, looking at Luffy with surprise.

The most interesting reaction by far, though, was the look that passed between Sabo and Ace. Azure had almost missed it, his attention mostly claimed by the boy with the straw hat, but there it was, no mistaking it.

There was no surprise on their faces, no shock that the bear and his friend were being treated almost the same they usually were. Instead there was worry in their glances, worry for the boy who'd suddenly declared such a strong loyalty for a person he'd never even met. Did they fear that Bepo or this Trafalgar Law would exploit Luffy's feelings, wherever they'd come from?

"I ... thank you, Luffy," Bepo said hesitantly, smiling gratefully as Luffy beamed with him, the fierce, determined air around him lessening to its usual, if still intense, level. Azure silently swore to keep a close eye on Luffy during the next few days. If whatever was going on with the boy didn't resolve itself, Azure was not going to leave his captain hanging.

The intensity of his own feelings momentarily caught him off guard. The loyalty he held for Luffy already outdid the one he'd felt for his father, even though the man had taken care of him for his entire life and had always been there whenever Azure had needed support of any kind.

When his father had finally made the decision to head to the Grand Line, to try his hand at conquering the capricious sea, Azure had supported him wholeheartedly. Or at least, he'd believed that he had. If he compared the feeling to his now unshakeable belief that Luffy would become the Pirate king, it almost seemed insignificant. With Luffy, gaining the title didn't merely appear to be an ambition – it was a fact.

It didn't make any sense at all. Luffy was only an eleven-year-old child, a powerful, energetic, charismatic one, yes, but a child nonetheless. Gol D. Roger had been more than fifty years old when he'd conquered the Grand Line – he'd had experience in sailing and fighting, he had strong, loyal allies and a crew whose ties had been forged through years of hardships together. Putting those two on the same level should be a ludicrous notion.

It should be. But his heart told him otherwise. Stupid, treacherous thing. It wasn't like Azure wanted to become an emotionless machine – he could never give up on the good times, even if it meant accepting the bad times as well. Only occasionally, though, he wished he could back up his feelings with hard facts, with rational thought. Very often, it worked just fine. With Luffy, he could just as well throw his thoughts out of the window. The boy would without a doubt defy any expectations he would form, as he'd proven today.

Realising that while he had zoned out, the conversation had anything but stopped, Azure turned his attention back to the discussion. So far, it seemed to boil down to 'let's just go there and wing it'. At least, they'd managed to talk Luffy out of the idea to storm the base immediately upon arrival. Instead, they'd head into town first and see if there were any overly talkative Marines within their reach.

This had apparently lead to the rather pointless argument taking place right now. "I'm just saying, Ace, you're the only one of us with a bounty," Francis reasoned, his voice barely above a growl as he reiterated his argument, desperate to be heard. "If anyone spots you in town and recognises you, they're going to be on guard immediately. People are going to be suspicious enough as it is, just because we're new in town. No need to add fuel to the fire."

"But I –" Ace started, immediately cut off by his blonde brother slamming a hand over his mouth.

"Don't. Don't you dare make a bad pun involving you and fire," Sabo hissed, glaring at the raven threateningly. "But please, go into the stupid Marine town if you want to. I feel like this trip's going to be mind-numbingly boring and really quiet, otherwise."

Francis sighed exasperatedly. "It's supposed to be quiet. We're trying to do espionage here, not a full-scale assault! Didn't we have this conversation, like, a minute ago?"

"But if we don't go around destroying government property, Luffy and I are never going to get a bounty! Ace is already 50 million ahead of us! This can't be allowed to continue!" Sabo whined, punching Ace as he gloated with pride.

Azure would have argued that Ace hadn't really done anything to earn his bounty yet, that he'd only shouted his name to the world to get such a price, but remembering Luffy's parentage, he immediately refrained from mentioning it. It would probably be better not to give the young boy any ideas.

"Should I stay on the ship as well?" Azure asked instead, only barely suppressing his smirk. "My bounty's certainly not as high nor am I as famous as Ace, and the Marines probably think I'm dead, but you know – just in case."

All eyes in the room were suddenly focused on him, aside from Amaryllis', who was busy fawning over the embarrassed bear. Well, it was old news to her anyways. "You have a bounty?" Luffy shouted in surprise. "How high is it?"

"22 million," Azure said casually, though to be honest, after listening to this conversation, he was sort of proud. It might not be much for the Grand Line, but for the Blues, it was a fairly respectable sum. Especially considering that he'd earnefd it when he hadn't even been the captain of his crew.

"22 million", Sabo repeated slowly, before jumping up to grab Francis' shoulders, shaking the shocked first mate. "Did you hear that, Francis? 22 million! My first commander! And you're telling me to stand down? I need to break something important, and I need to do it quickly!" And with those words, Sabo was out of the door, running off to God knows where.

Francis stood up swiftly as well, heading out of the room after Sabo while shouting, "Oi! Where are you going? We're in the middle of the sea!" Azure could only pray that the blonde wouldn't break the main mast in his hurry. While it could be considered something important, it would only get him a mutiny instead of a bounty. The image was entertaining to contemplate, though, especially if one added Francis' expression to the mix.

"Well, I think we can call this meeting to a close," Ace said, lying back down on the bed, grasping a journal from the chest next to it. "Azure, can you make sure Bepo gets a place to sleep?"

"Sure," Azure responded, motioning for Bepo and Amaryllis to follow him. "Come on. I'll give you the tour."

xXx

As the door closed behind the first commander, Ace snuggled deeper into his pillow, putting the journal onto his belly as he looked towards Luffy. His younger brother put his treasured straw hat onto the table, slipping out of his sandals before jumping onto the bed to lie down beside Ace. Instinctively, Ace lifted his right arm, Luffy immediately crawling closer to place his head on his older brother's shoulder.

"You okay, Lu?" Ace asked quietly, Luffy's outburst earlier still fresh on his mind. As the smaller boy tried to hide his face in Ace's shoulder, his older brother turned onto his side, forcing Luffy to face him, wrapping his other arm around him to keep him close.

Lower lip trembling, Luffy looked up into his brother's eyes. "I dunno," he whispered, his hands starting to shake. "No, I'm not," he almost immediately corrected, tears starting to pool from his eyes. Frowning, Ace pulled him closer, letting Luffy have a good cry in the safe environment of his brother's arms.

Softly, he started to stroke Luffy's hair soothingly, burying his fingers in the still wet, wild mass. What had brought this on? With no small amount of guilt, Ace acknowledged that maybe he hadn't paid enough attention to his brothers during the last few days. Arranging everything on No Man's Land had been hectic, even with Dragon's help. Even though he didn't like to admit it, they probably wouldn't have fared half as well without Luffy's father's help.

Banishing his resentful thoughts of the man who'd raised Sabo in their last life, Ace focused on Luffy again. "Talk to me, Lu," he whispered softly to the crybaby in his arms. Not that Ace was planning to ridicule Luffy's feelings, as he'd often done in their first childhood. No matter how tough a pirate Luffy had become, there were still moments he simply needed to let go, when everything became to much.

"I miss them," his little brother choked, his breath hitching. "I miss them so much, Ace. It feels like I've killed them," he added in a small voice, clenching his fists. Ace didn't need to ask who he was talking about. Even without Luffy's declaration about Law before, it would have been obvious.

Ace didn't know how Sabo felt about all the friends he'd made within the Revolutionary Army, but ever since setting sail, Ace had spent a great deal of thought on the Whitebeard pirates. It was inevitable – he'd sailed with them for years. Now that they were back in the Grand Line, he couldn't help but remember all the small things, some annoying, some pleasant, that he'd been used to on the Moby Dick.

The knowledge that they were somewhere further ahead in the Grand Line, only waiting for him to approach them, was both comforting and worrying. Who knew how they'd receive him this time around? Unlike last time, he wasn't some ambitious rookie, trying to take their captain's head. No, this time, he'd declared himself the son of Whitebeard's late rival. It was more than likely that many in the Yonko's crew would look at him with suspicion.

Seeing the hatred and the disgust, maybe even fear on the faces of those he'd grown so close to was something Ace couldn't even bear to imagine. Though he was sure there'd be some notable exceptions who wouldn't treat him any different for his parentage, he would additionally not be a potential new member. If he met with the Whitebeards, it would be as a rival captain. Ace didn't even try to delude himself that this wouldn't result in different actions and reactions.

But at least, Ace knew they were out there, their skills, their personalities, their relationships for a great deal unchanged. While Ace had without a doubt had some influence them, the Whitebeards had been an established crew for decades when the young raven had joined them. Much would still be the same as he remembered, even if he might not receive the privilege to witness it.

Luffy, on the other hand, had created his own crew, a great many of them around his own age, especially those from his home sea. On their journey together, they'd essentially grown up together, facing many adversities and developing ever stronger bonds throughout their journey. Now, that was all gone.

It seemed the truth of their circumstances had only hit Luffy now. Everything he'd built during his previous life, the people he'd saved, the relationships he'd developed, it was all gone now. They were back to zero. They had to start all over again.

While that certainly was what Luffy and Sabo'd intended – starting all over to get the opportunity to sail with him, those fools – it didn't surprise Ace that Luffy hadn't considered all the implications. If he had, maybe he'd have wished for his nakama to retain their memories, as well. Now, however, it was too late.

Luffy's words that he'd killed them were, unfortunately, not entirely inaccurate. The people they'd grown into through their journey with the future Pirate king didn't exist anymore. But what Luffy couldn't be allowed to forget was that his nakama were still out there in the world. Unlike Ace, Luffy'd be able to recruit them into their crew without problems.

"You'll see them again, Lu," Ace said quietly, holding Luffy close. "I know it doesn't feel like a great comfort right now, but you'll be able to see all of them again. You can recruit all of them again. They might not be quite how you remember, but they'll still be your nakama, right?"

"Of course they will! They'll always be my nakama! I'll never give up on them!" Luffy shouted through his tears, his usual determination shining in his eyes. It reassured Ace that everything would be okay. No matter how desperate and doubtful Luffy seemed right now, he would always turn back into the headstrong, confident little brother who'd sworn to live his life without regrets.

"There you go," Ace mumbled softly, squeezing Luffy's shoulder gently. "You'll see them again in next to no time. The years will pass so quickly you won't even notice. And in the meantime, Sabo and I will always be there for you, I promise. We're never going to leave you."

 _"Listen up, Luffy! I'm not going to die, ever. At least not as long as I have such a weak little brother to look after!"_

He'd already broken his promise before and caused his brother all kinds of horrible pain. It was because of him that Luffy was in this situation, crying for the nakama he'd given up so Ace could live. Guilt rose up in his chest, making it difficult to breathe. Instinctively, Ace tightened his arms around his little brother, burying his face in his hair.

He really had to stop beating himself up about it. Ace didn't regret dying – if he ever had to make the choice between Luffy's life and his own again, he knew he wouldn't hesitate. It was the part where he had to live with the consequences of his actions that he was struggling with. Knowing the pain, the guilt, the doubt he'd made Luffy feel was something he could barely live with.

It was fortunate Luffy and Sabo had only come back in time years after Ace had died. By then, Luffy had learned to deal with all those negative feelings Ace's sacrifice had caused, so Ace never had to face them himself.

This time, he wouldn't break his promise, Ace silently swore. Luffy'd never go through that kind of pain again, not if he had anything to say about it.

"Come on, Lu," Ace whispered, lying back down on his back to make their position more comfortable. "You should get some sleep. It's late." Luffy nodded without any protesting, snuggling into Ace's side. It didn't take long for him to be dead to the world, his emotional breakdown having obviously exhausted him.

Looking fondly at his sleeping brother, Ace picked up the journal that had tumbled in between the brothers with his free hand, opening it at the page he'd stopped reading. He'd never be able to put the gratitude he felt to Crocus for giving him this golden opportunity to learn more about his father.

For one thing, he now understood why so many people compared Luffy to his father. While his old man was by no means as stupidly reckless as his little brother frequently was, that attitude probably tempered by years of experience, there was nothing he wouldn't do for the pirates on his crew. There was also the incredible joy he'd found in everything they did, the never-ending excitement he'd displayed whenever they stumbled upon a new island, a new adventure.

In short, the more Ace read about the man, the more he realised just how unjustified his previous resentment, his hatred of his father had been. It was like trying to hate Luffy – he'd tried valiantly for such a long time, but both simply tore through his barriers, endearing themselves to Ace despite their shared idiocy.

If anything, reading about his adventures with his crew, Ace regretted more than ever not having met the man himself. Holding a book in his hands which told him about his father was simply not the same as standing face to face and hearing him tell the stories himself.

However, Ace would take what he could get. Focussing on the story Crocus was telling in this journal, Ace banished his stupid, childish wish. He'd led a perfectly fine life without wasting a thought on the bastard that had ruined his childhood the last time, so he saw no reason why it would be any different this time, when he didn't hate the man.

After reading for quite a while, Luffy slumbering deeply on his shoulder, his head growing heavy on Ace's shoulder, the raven paused, staring at the pages in hesitation. Some might consider what he was doing cheating. After all, these were documentations of the Pirate King's journey to the end of the Grand Line. With those, one couldn't quite reach Raftel, since Crocus wasn't a navigator, but it certainly illustrated the path Ace would have to take pretty well.

On the other hand, Ace was travelling with the future Pirate king, so they already had a major advantage, anyways. If anything, reading these stories would allow him to catch up to his brothers, who'd been surprisingly tight-lipped about their actual journey to the last island.

Decision made, Ace turned his attention back to the pages, the story getting dangerously close to reaching Raftel. Since Ace wasn't exactly reading the journals in their chronological order, preferring to pick one by chance, he'd reached the famed last island far earlier than he'd expected.

 _We reached the island in the early hours of the morning, seven days after we'd left the last island. It was a dawn unlike any I'd ever seen before – the sky painted in more colours than even a rainbow would have. The light of the rising sun broke in the greenish blue water of the ocean, tinting everything in a beautiful mix of pink, orange, yellow and purple._

 _In the midst of this magnificent view, there it was. Raftel, the island we'd set out to find. Surrounded by fog, I couldn't discern any details of the place we'd suffered through so much to find at first. Time almost seemed to slow down as we sailed ever closer, the sun growing more dazzling by the second, dispelling the thick fog bit by bit._

 _Only when we finally docked at its coast, I could make out more than the mysterious silhouettes that had teased my mind since I first spotted the island myself. In front of us, though still promising quite the long hike to reach it, an absolutely breath-taking castle stood in the middle of Raftel, its cream and white and golden towers seemingly reaching the sky. It looked completely untouched by time and age, though it had to have been unoccupied for a few long centuries._

 _Roger didn't hesitate to call for an expedition of the island of his dreams, practically vibrating with boundless excitement. Rayleigh could barely stop him from jumping off the ship and without a doubt getting lost in the rich woods surrounding the castle, or worse, getting himself poisoned by eating a strange plant again._

 _Fortunately, it only took a few seconds for the crew to be ready, everyone eager to finally set foot on Raftel. I had heard countless stories and speculations about what lay at the end of the Grand Line, and thus, I was eager to discover the truth behind the legends myself._

Turning the page, Ace froze, leafing through the rest of the journal in disbelief. The pages were blank. Never in any of his other journals had Crocus wasted as much as a page, but in this case, he'd left half a book empty. What was going on?

If the pages were ripped out, Ace would have been able to understand. Maybe Crocus hadn't wanted to ruin Ace's own experience when he eventually reached Raftel, or maybe he'd thought it would be too dangerous to let true accounts of the last island out of his watchful eyes. But the pages were blank.

Had Crocus simply decided not to describe their adventures on Raftel after the first page he'd written about their arrival? Or had he somehow erased the story he'd told after their journey'd become infamous?

None of the speculations Ace could come up with were satisfactory, though. It simply didn't make sense for Crocus to leave this many pages unused. The man seemed to hold a deep aversion against any type of wastefulness, from what Ace had gathered from his stories, going as far as to – ahem – liberate items he thought weren't put to their proper use.

Even if he wanted the happenings on Raftel to remain a mystery, Ace couldn't imagine that he wouldn't have simply used the pages for other stories or medical papers. There had to be a whole separate reasoning behind those empty pages Ace couldn't possibly conceive.

"Try not to hurt yourself by thinking too hard," Sabo's voice suddenly ripped him out from his musings. He hadn't even noticed the blonde entering the room. "What are you reading about?"

"They just reached Raftel," Ace stated without hesitation, his brother's expression turning curious. "Crocus goes into great detail to describe the amazing view, the magnificent dawn and the beautiful castle, but then, he suddenly stops. He hasn't written anything on the rest of the pages."

"A castle? Really?" Sabo looked at him with a puzzled look in his eyes. Ace sent him a questioning one in return. Luffy and Sabo had already sailed to Raftel together – this shouldn't come as a surprise to him, should it?

"You've never told me much about your journey there. Do you remember something different?" Ace asked in a confused voice as Sabo didn't elaborate his thoughts.

"That's because there isn't much to tell. The journey to Raftel was pretty calm, almost anticlimactic, actually. You know, with all the Yonko but Shanks defeated and the Marines too far behind us to ever dream of catching up," Sabo replied in an even tone. "It's just that I can't remember anything about the castle you mentioned. There was only a cave, a pretty impressive one, but still just a cave."

What the heck? Ace stared at his brother, then at the unfinished journal, and then at his brother again in disbelief. What was going on here? How could there be two completely different accounts of the same island? "What did the cave look like? Wait, what did the island as a whole look like? When did you arrive there?" Ace suddenly fired, determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.

"Woah, slow down," Sabo scolded, putting his hat next to Luffy's before getting started on his clothes. "I can't tell you any of that. My memories are a bit foggy, to be honest," he continued in a strange tone, almost mechanical. Ace frowned.

"What do you mean, your memories are foggy? You don't actually remember everything?" The more Ace heard about Raftel, the more suspicious he became. Something was afoot there.

"Just what I said, my memories are foggy," Sabo replied in an annoyed tone, lying down onto the bed on Luffy's other side. "It's nothing to worry about, though." After waiting a bit for Sabo to elaborate his last statement, Ace's frown deepened.

"How can something messing with your memories not be anything to worry about?" Ace asked sceptically, determined to get the truth from his brother. However, Sabo didn't seem to be particularly willing.

"It's just not," he said in a uncharacteristically curt voice, turning his back to Ace's disbelieving eyes. He didn't have any problem admitting that Sabo was the most rational out of the three brothers. Never did he ever just throw statements into the room without a sound, logical reasoning behind them. Yet that was exactly what Sabo had done now.

What the hell was going on?

xXx

 _A/N: And that's chapter number five! As promised, familiar characters have popped up after all the OC development in the last chapter. Tell me honestly: Who thought it was Bepo?_

 _As promised, I wrote a little outtake to chapter 3 - the Whitebeards reaction to Ace's appearance. Read enjoy! (And review!)_

xXx

 _On the Moby Dick ..._

Marco poured himself a cup of coffee, shovelling an unhealthy amount of sugar into the hot beverage. As always at such an early time of the day, the canteen was still completely empty, everyone besides the poor souls of the night shift still slumbering in their hammocks.

And then, of course, there was the overly cheerful cook, who was staring at him from behind the counter with an expectant look. With a wary expression, Marco stirred his coffee. "What do you want, Thatch?"

The man's smiled widened a fraction, which did nothing to soothe Marco's paranoia. "A fabulous morning to you as well, first division commander Marco!" Marco kept stirring his coffee, trying to make the mischievous cook sweat under his stare. Unfortunately, Thatch had long since developed an immunity against Marco's ire.

"What did you do?" he finally asked, mentally trying to prepare for whatever mess the fourth division commander had caused this time. No matter how many times he insisted that Thatch was a grown man and therefore should clean up after himself, somehow, Marco would always get involved into his problems, or worse, his pranks.

"Why do you think I did anything?" Thatch asked innocently. Marco shot him a disbelieving glare, taking a sip of his coffee – only to promptly spit it out again. "I definitely didn't replace the sugar with salt. Nope, that would be absolutely ridiculous!"

Marco growled. "Thatch ..." He promptly jumped up onto the counter, grabbing the cook around the neck while making sure not to spill any of his ruined drink. Thatch squealed rather pathetically and tried to back away, but Marco wouldn't let him escape. "Coffee is sacred. Never mess with my coffee again." Pressing the cup to the cook's lips, he mercilessly forced him to drink up.

Only when Thatch finally finished the drink with tears in his eyes did Marco let go off his fellow commander, pressing the empty cup into the cook's hand. "Now get me a new one. With five spoons of sugar. Sugar," he emphasized again, his half-lidded eyes narrowed.

Getting rid of the utterly disgusted expression on his face, Thatch saluted mockingly. "Yessir! Of course, sir! Whatever the good sir wishes!" Ducking out of the way of the spoon Marco threw at him, Thatch disappeared into the kitchen, hopefully to fetch Marco's precious sugar.

While Thatch was busy in the kitchen, Marco went outside briefly to see if the News Coo had come by yet. And indeed, there it sat on the railing, several newspapers in its bag, looking expectantly at the first division commander.

It was always the same bird that delivered their post. Most people probably wouldn't notice this, but since Marco was practically always the one to pick up the paper, he might have developed a semblance of a relationship with the seagull. No, Thatch, it was not because birds like to flock together.

Taking three issues from the bag, subsequently paying for them, Marco walked back inside, throwing the two extras on one of the tables for other curious souls to read. At last, he opened his own, freezing on the spot, his usually half-lidded eyes widening slightly.

"Oh, Marco!" Thatch sang as he danced from behind the counter towards his fellow commander, who was still standing rooted to his spot at the door. "I have your elixir of life ready with six spoons of sugar!" Stopping in front of him with the cup in his hands, his face turned a little worried at the lack of reaction from the blonde. "Marco?"

Snapping out of his stupor, Marco blinked at Thatch, accepting the cup almost mechanically. "Yeah, thanks," he muttered, his eyes immediately returning to the article, his eyes flying over the black lines. Sipping on his wonderfully sweet drink, Marco closed the paper again as he finished the text. "I need to go see Oyaji."

Before Thatch could even blink, Marco was out of the door again, the cook's protests muffled by the door falling shut. If Thatch wanted to find out what was going on, he could just as well read it himself.

This was certainly interesting, and above all, unexpected. It was, of course, possible that this Gol D. Ace was a fake, that he wasn't actually the Pirate King's son as he claimed, but if he was – well, the New World was bound to get even more exciting than it usually was. Provided that the boy wasn't slaughtered by the Marines beforehand.

Arriving in front of his captain's cabin, Marco decisively knocked on the door. "Oyaji? Are you up?"

After a few seconds of silence, Whitebeards deep, rumbling voice responded, "I am now. Why don't you come in, son?"

A sheepish smile on Marco's face, he entered the cabin, Whitebeard meeting his eyes with a fond, if still slightly tired look. Right. It was still rather early in the morning. "Sorry for waking you. There's something I know you want to see." Handing over the newspaper, Marco sat down on the edge of Whitebeard's bed, watching the old man with worried eyes as he read the article with an expressionless face.

It was a sad fact that Whitebeard wasn't getting any younger. Marco was reminded of it each and every time he entered his captain's cabin only to see the countless thin tubes connecting to the old man's body. As he liked to emphasize himself, though, he still had many years to live, and as always, Marco tried his best to focus on that.

"So Roger had a son, huh? I always knew he'd come around at some point. He must have gotten jealous after seeing my wonderful family," Whitebeard stated with a broad smile as he finished the article.

"You believe he's telling the truth?" Marco asked curiously.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," he replied, handing the paper back to his son. "Keep an eye out for the boy, will you, Marco?"

A tiny smile appeared on the first commander's face. "Sure thing, Oyaji." It was about time to expand their family again, anyways.


	6. Messing with Marines - Round One

**Chapter 6: Messing with Marines – Round One**

The presumably former captain Smoker stomped ill-temperedly through the white streets, his arms crossed defensively in front of his body to shield against the frigid cold. At the back of his mind, he wondered just which genius had thought it would be a good idea to build a Marine base in this freezing hell.

Even the locals, undoubtedly used to the inhospitable weather, clearly wished for a change in climate, if the town's name Snowmelt was any indication. Why they didn't simply move away from the icy island was a question Smoker was itching to ask one of them, though he suspected he already knew the answer – habit. Tradition. Fear of the unknown. Humans could be so boringly predictable sometimes.

However, there was an upside to this snow-covered town. Since Smoker was wearing his white Marine jacket, coupled with his light complexion and his white hair, he did blend in rather well with his surroundings. If he could force himself to wear white trousers and boots as well (he never would), he'd be practically invisible.

And that certainly suited his purposes very well, even if he couldn't believe he'd actually just wasted a serious thought on his appearance. It was much easier to listen to careless soldiers' conversation when they didn't notice his presence. Though they probably wouldn't even censor their talks if they did realise he was there as he was still wearing his Marine jacket. The possibility of infiltration seemed to be a far-fetched concept for the ordinary soldier.

Not that Smoker was an imposter, mind you. He certainly hadn't stopped to consider himself a Marine, and he very much hoped that the headquarters didn't disagree with him. Likely, he'd learn their opinion on the matter when he arrived at Marineford for the training he'd applied for without instruction to do so, and definitely without permission. They couldn't really blame him for being eager to improve his skills, could they?

Well, they might not blame him per say, but they would certainly demote him for abandoning his post in his hurry at the least. Especially since all his superiors could probably guess that it wasn't his actual reason for leaving Logue Town, even if he claimed otherwise. That he hadn't waited for the approval of his request, and that he had taken the first ship headed for the G-9 only after the Marines had received first reports of Gol D. Ace's location were only further points against his favour.

Though Smoker was past caring at the moment. If the boy proved to be a disappointment, an imposter, unable to live up to the Pirate King's impressive reputation, he was sure he could work to gain back the little favour he'd gathered within the Marine corps despite his often rebellious attitude. And if he didn't – well, Smoker wasn't actually quite sure what he was planning to do if the Pirate Prince turned out to be the real deal.

As a Marine, he shouldn't be hesitating to capture him, naturally. And he was a Marine fighting for justice at heart, despite the fact that his reputation sometimes painted a darker picture. He understood why the government wanted to stop Gol D. Ace before he could become a greater threat than he already was.

Still, the kid was so young, maybe fifteen years old from Smoker's estimation. Was it really right to unleash their entire force on a naive, foolish teenager who probably didn't understand the full implications of his actions?

As he turned around the corner, something barrelled into him with enough force to actually throw him to the ground. Slightly dazed, but immediately on alert, Smoker forced himself into a sitting position, determined to get back to his feet quickly when he noticed his legs being weighed down by a small figure wearing only shorts, a thin, long-sleeved shirt and a straw hat.

"Oh, sorry! Didn't see you there! Shishishishishi!" the boy exclaimed, grinning at Smoker brightly as he apologized. Smoker blinked at the kid's attitude. It was rare for him to come into contact with children at all considering that their parents usually kept them away for him, but for one to treat him so cheerfully, without any apprehension or fear hadn't happened in years.

"It's fine," Smoker grumbled, though he tried his best not to seem as pissed as he was at the sudden bath in the snow. "You're going to catch a cold if you run around like that," he added as he stood up from the ground after the boy had jumped to his feet himself, his light attire once again catching his eye. The worn straw hat in particular was an interesting choice for a winter island.

"What do you mean?" the boy asked with a confused expression. Smoker stared at him in disbelief. Was he immune to the cold? Even a bear would have to put on a coat in this frigid climate.

As if the boy had read his thoughts, he suddenly started shivering. "Ah! It's cold!" he shouted, slinging his arms around his tiny body as snow continued to gather on his feeble clothes. Smoker watched a bit helplessly as the child started to show the effects of the cold on his body. What was he supposed to do now?

Well, he could hardly let the boy freeze to death on his watch. Clenching his jaw, Smoker reluctantly shed his warm cloak, knowing very well that underneath, there was only his standard Marine jacket, which would hardly keep him warm in this weather. Wrapping the kid in the thick cloth, he resolutely gathered him up in his arms, blushing slightly as the boy snuggled closer.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere warm," Smoker mumbled embarrassedly, striding swiftly towards the restaurant he'd passed earlier, a particularly frigid breeze causing him to shiver himself. Blasted winter islands.

Entering the warm, cozy house, Smoker immediately walked towards the fireplace, putting the boy at the table closest to it. When a waiter came over to protest, yammering about reservations and other annoying protocols he had apparently ignored, Smoker only glared at the offending man, effectively silencing him. The man practically broke into a run when the Marine ordered hot chocolate and a dry blanket. An intimidating face sure came in useful sometimes.

"Thank you!" The child was, once again, grinning up broadly at Smoker, his unstoppable joyfulness both startling and slightly unnerving to him. He certainly hadn't taken long to bounce back from almost freezing to death.

"No problem," Smoker replied as he sat down on the chair opposite of the boy, uncertain of what to do now that he'd gotten the child into a relatively safe environment. Pulling out one of his cigars out of nervous habit, he stuck it into his mouth before hesitating. It wouldn't do to smoke in front of an impressionable kid, would it?

"You're really nice for a Marine, Smokey!" The addressed man looked up at the smiling face in surprise and slight indignation. What was with that nickname? He hadn't even lit his cigar yet! Quickly deciding to fix that oversight of his, any concern for the child's health forcefully dismissed, he glared at the boy.

"It's Smoker," he stated firmly as his mind wandered to the content of the boy's words. It didn't sound like he had a lot of good experience with the Marine corps. While Smoker would have loved to set him straight on the perfection of his organisation, he knew the corruption running rampant only too well. "What's your name, brat?"

"Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to be the Pirate king!" he exclaimed loudly, drawing glances from the entire restaurant. Smoker groaned internally. It seemed he just had spectacular luck today. Of course, he'd pick up the likely only pirate sympathizer in the entire town.

Fortunately, the perpetrator was a kid, the onlookers soon turning back to their conversations in condescending dismissal. Smoker, however, was not as lucky – his own soft heart had condemned him to catering for the enthusiastic boy. "You should find a new dream while you still can, kid," Smoker finally replied.

"Huh? Why?" Luffy asked, looking genuinely confused at Smoker's statement. The man sighed deeply. That was, he supposed, the result of living isolated in a town protected by one of the Marines' very own bases. Only few pirate crews dared to attack such islands, and those were usually weak fools.

Gol D. Ace attacked a town protected by the Marines, protected by Smoker himself. Did he think the boy weak? Almost immediately, Smoker squashed the thought, repeating his previous argumentation – he certainly was a fool. "Pirates are mean people who hurt others and ruin their lives," Smoker said in response, greatly simplifying his own view and speech. He was talking to a child, after all – he should live in blissful obliviousness to the true cruelty of the world for as long as he could.

"Oh, you're talking about bad pirates! I don't wanna become one of those," Luffy stated confidently, looking almost insulted at Smoker's words. "I'm a good pirate! I'll have tons of adventure and live freeer than anyone else!"

Smoker couldn't help but smile at the naive words, an irrational hope rising in his chest that the boy would manage to live his dream. It wasn't as if there weren't pirates of Luffy's ideal out there in the world – they were simply exceptionally rare. But maybe, this little child with the straw hat would succeed.

As the hot chocolate finally arrived, Smoker handed it to the eager child, likely burning his tongue since he didn't leave it to cool even a tiny bit. Luffy didn't seem to be bothered by the heat, though, relishing in the taste instead. "Ah! So good! Almost as good as Sanji's!"

The new name immediately attracted Smoker's attention. A caretaker maybe? Come to think of it, he really didn't have the time to look after the boy. It was about time he found Luffy's guardians. "Oh? Who's that?"

"The best cook in the entire world!" Luffy enthusiastically replied, unshakeable belief filling his words. Listening to the boy, Smoker somehow couldn't help but believe his words, no matter how ridiculous it was to let a child be the judge of that. But Luffy simply had this air about him. It seemed almost impossible to disbelieve or distrust him.

"Luffy! There you are!" Smoker's eyes snapped to the entrance of the restaurant, the petite, blonde woman rushing over to their table with worry written all over her face. "What were you thinking? I told you not to run off without me!"

"Huh? You did?" Luffy asked in a confused tone, tilting his head while Smoker scrutinized the woman who'd just arrived. She looked a little young to be Luffy's mother – a sister perhaps? Or simply a babysitter? There was no physical resemblance between the two, after all.

"Yes! I did! Weren't you listening?" she exclaimed exasperatedly, her eyes falling onto Smoker next, slight hesitance and suspicion in her gaze. Her words suggested none of that, though. "Thank you for taking care of Luffy. I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

"Not at all." The chill from outside was still stuck in his bones. "You might want to help him find a different dream, though," he added absent-mindedly, although he suspected his efforts to be futile. The boy's conviction still rang loud in his ears.

"Oh, he didn't ..." she muttered, worry once again prominent on her face as her blue eyes flickered towards his face again as if searching for something. "Luffy, he's a Marine!" she hissed at the child, her body tense even though Smoker hadn't shown any hostile intent as far as he was aware. That was the story of his life, he supposed.

"So what? Smokey's nice! I like him!" the child countered, smiling gently as he delivered his innocent compliment for a second time. Smoker would forever deny feeling embarrassed and slightly flattered at the boy's seemingly unconditional acceptance of his character. "Hey, you know what? You should –"

Before Luffy could complete his sentence, though, the blonde woman slapped a hand over his mouth, glaring at the boy strictly. "Don't you dare finish that sentence," she stated with an edge to her voice, fierce protectiveness shining in her eyes as they once again flittered to Smoker. Suddenly, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something going on here that he didn't quite understand yet.

Yet although his curiosity was now piqued, he didn't get the opportunity to pry a bit more into the child's personality and his history since the woman now quickly put a cloak on the small raven. "I apologise again for any inconvenience we've caused you. We'll be out of your hair now. Thank you," she said hurriedly, already ushering Luffy out of the restaurant.

"Wait," Smoker interjected, the blonde freezing in her spot, her left hand protectively on the child's shoulder as she turned around, her other hand disappearing underneath her long cloak. To the casual onlooker, the movement might have looked natural, but Smoker's eyes narrowed. There was no doubt about it. This woman was an accomplished fighter, everything from her stance to the look in her eyes practically screaming danger.

Standing up from his chair, Smoker walked towards the exit of the restaurant, stopping in front of the mysterious pair. The blonde tensed further as he approached, her unease growing ever more obvious. "Be careful out there," Smoker heard himself saying, his voice revealing none of his thoughts. "Not everyone's going to care that he's just a child."

Her eyes widened a bit, though her posture grew more relaxed as she let go of whatever weapon she'd grasped underneath her cloak. She nodded almost imperceptibly before the two finally exited the house. After paying the intimidated waiter, Smoker followed their example, continuing his stroll around the town.

However, the pair didn't leave his mind for the entire afternoon. Who was that woman? And, for that matter, who was Luffy? He might know the boy's name, but his appearance was very strange and still unexplained. Why would anyone run around this island in an outfit clearly meant for a warmer climate?

It wouldn't surprise him if the woman was a traveller, a pirate even considering her reaction to his status as a Marine. But how did Luffy fit into this picture? Surely, no pirate crew would be stupid enough to enter the Grand Line with a child in tow.

And yet Luffy had claimed to be a pirate already. Granted, it could have only been a slip of tongue on the kid's part, but when Smoker had questioned his dream, Luffy had stated that he was a good pirate. The thought made his stomach churn uncomfortably. What had happened in the boy's past to cause him to become a pirate already? Or was it simply a case of heritage? Did the boy travel on his parents' ship?

When, after a few hours, Smoker spotted an unusually large number of Marines gathering around a different restaurant, he was relieved. Relieved to finally get a distraction from his increasingly disturbing theories, all of which made him want to search out the child again and enlist him before he could slip into a criminal's life purely on accident.

Stepping closer to one of the Marines who were apparently waiting for some sort of instruction from a superior who had yet to arrive, Smoker grumbled, "What's going on here?" It earned him a both guilty and startled look from the Marine, who quickly stepped away from the window he'd been spying into.

"You haven't heard? It's the Pirate Prince! He's finally arrived on the island!" he whispered almost conspirationally, pointing at the restaurant. "Apparently, he went in there a couple of minutes ago, so we're probably going to ambush him when he comes out."

Nodding at his informant in acknowledgement, Smoker approached the window himself, peering through the dirty glass. Unfortunately, it didn't offer a spectacular picture of the inside, the view on the contrary quite limited. It certainly made it impossible to identify any of the people inside.

In slight disappointment, Smoker took a few steps back, leaving the group of Marines behind as he joined the crowd of curious onlookers that had already gathered. What was he supposed to do now? He'd finally found the boy, but it didn't look like he'd get the chance to approach him himself. If anything, he suspected the five minutes of fame the Pirate Prince had experienced would soon come to an end.

This suspicion was reaffirmed when the Marines collectively saluted, a tall man in a long white cloak approaching the group. Was that a fork stuck to his cheek? While Smoker had never met the man himself, he immediately recognised him as the new Vice-Admiral in charge of the G-5. He'd heard it said around town that the man had been pulled out of his vacation to capture the boy since he'd already been in the neighbourhood.

Minutes seemed to stretch into hours as he watched Vergo converse with his men, finally giving them the order to enter the restaurant. Only a short while later, the Marines exited again, the unconscious youth being dragged along at his shackles.

It seemed Smoker had overestimated the teenager. During their brief encounter in Logue Town, Gol D. Ace had seemed so confident and strong, but apparently he'd only put up a front. Embarrassment slightly tinged Smoker's cheeks pink. Maybe it had been a lapse in his judgement.

"Wha – Ace!" A frantic voice shouted from somewhere to Smoker's left, a couple of knives immediately following the statement, downing the surprised Marines surrounding the raven. Just as quickly as the orange-haired man, who was stepping forward now, had freed the way to Ace, further Marines streamed forward, blocking his path again.

"Let him go!" he screamed furiously, apparently not intimidated by the numerous opponents facing him. Even as he started to attack them again with an admittedly impressive speed, though, Smoker could tell that his efforts would be futile. Vice-Admiral Vergo had already ordered some of his men to take the Pirate Prince away, stepping through the ranks to intercept the man's deadly slashes with a blackened fist.

The curved knives in the pirate's hands broke as his strikes were blocked by the Marine's Haki, but the man only hesitated briefly. It seemed he had a broad assortment of weapons hidden within his pockets as he proceeded to attack Vergo with admirable determination, slashing ferociously at his opponent even if he was clearly inferior.

However, despite his vigour, it didn't take too long for him to be defeated, a powerful kick to the chest sending the man sprawling. Smoker clenched his jaw as he saw him spit blood, clearly having taken severe damage, but still, he climbed back to his feet breathing heavily as he glared at his opponent.

As he watched the man being thrown to the ground again and again, only for him to stand up with increasing difficulty, Smoker couldn't help but wonder why he even cared. This was a fight between a pirate and a Marine – it should have been obvious who to root for. Yet for some reason, he didn't want the orange-haired man lose.

Maybe it was the way Vergo clearly toyed with his opponent instead of striking him down decisively. But then again, the man had taken out several of his subordinates, and rumours painted the Vice-Admiral as fairly protective. So his anger should be understandable.

While Smoker was busy being confused over his conflicting emotions, the fight came to a gruesome end. The pirate lay on the ground, his fingers twitching as he was having trouble breathing, apparently still trying to muster up some strength that should have been beaten out of him long ago. Vergo threw him one last dismissive look, before turning around to head towards the harbour, taking the remaining Marines with him.

The small crowd dispersed soon after, some throwing the heavily injured man glances ranging from disgusted to mildly pitying. Nobody stepped up to treat his wounds, no Marines arrived to take him into custody. Smoker sighed in resignation. While it was hardly surprising that no one wanted to be seen aiding a pirate, the Marines should have taken him in. However, it seemed they were content to simply let him die in the snow.

He'd already taken several steps towards the injured man when he caught himself, coming to a hesitant stop again. What was he doing? This wasn't any of his business. He wasn't stationed on the island, so he had no obligation to capture the pirate. There was no reason for him to care.

"A-Ace ..." the weak stutter caught Smoker's attention through his uncertainty, his eyes snapping back to the pirate, who was slowly clenching his trembling fingers into a fist. His entire body was trembling from only this tiny movement, or maybe it was the cold that had to be seeping into his bones by now – if the man could even feel anything besides the intense pain he had to be in.

Smoker frowned as he knelt down next to the injured man. Damn. When had he stopped being reasonable? This was a ridiculous, unbelievable move, even for him, the notoriously rebellious Marine captain. "You shouldn't move. You're going to aggravate your injuries," he said gruffly, more frustrated with himself than the pirate.

Golden eyes flitted to him, the man only barely conscious, which made it all the more impressive that he was still trying to force himself to move. "G-get ... Sa ..." the pirate rasped, his voice being cut off by a horrible cough.

"Don't talk," Smoker ordered strictly as he looked the man over, his concern and helplessness increasing by the second. This was far beyond his meager first aid skills. The only thing Smoker could think of was to get him into a dry environment as quickly as possible, the frigid snow certainly not improving his condition.

Fortunately, his pondering was interrupted, though unfortunately by a very familiar voice. "Francis! What happened to you?" Luffy knelt down next to Smoker, only barely acknowledging the Marine, his entire attention on the pirate. Smoker hadn't ever imagined that the boy could look so serious.

The man's expression didn't become any less strained, but the relief was almost palpable. "A-Ace ..." he stuttered again, his eyes pleading with Luffy to understand. The child's face turned almost painfully blank as his eyes shot around in all directions, panic soon replacing the previously emotionless look.

"Ace, where's Ace? I can't feel him anywhere," he muttered under his breath, though Smoker was close enough to catch the whispered words. The desperate eyes soon turned onto the frozen Marine. If Smoker had previously thought that Luffy had an impressive air around him for a child, that was nothing compared to now. "What happened to Ace?" he asked in a harsh voice.

Before Smoker could snap out of his state of shock and answer the boy, the blonde woman entered the scene. "Luffy! Where did you run off to so suddenly? I told you ..." her eyes widened as she took in the picture before him, covering her mouth with her hands. "Oh my god!"

"Amy! Get everyone back together at the Tigris!" Luffy ordered with a surprisingly firm voice, the woman hesitating only very briefly before taking off again. "Smokey. Help me carry him back to our ship," Luffy continued resolutely, the previous panic gone from his face. "Please."

Smoker gulped under the weight of his stare, but in the end, he remembered who he was. "I can't," he said firmly, even if he wanted to do nothing more than to give in to the child's demand. "I have to take him in. He's a pirate, and now a known associate of the Pirate Prince." He sighed, clenching his hand into a fist at his own words. "Go quickly, and I'll forget I ever saw you here today."

The boy grew incredibly still as he listened to Smoker's answer. "I can't do that either," he finally replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Francis is my first mate. Ace is my brother. I'm not going to abandon either of them."

His brother? Once again, Smoker was frozen, unable to believe his ears. Gol D. Ace had a brother, and it was this innocent, happy, and most of all good child. Immediately, his mind flitted to what his superiors would do with this information. He couldn't come up with a single pleasant possibility.

How were they even related? It was impossible for Luffy to be the Pirate King's son, that much was certain. Did that mean that Ace had lied, after all? Yet somehow, Smoker couldn't imagine Luffy calling him his brother with this much pride if he'd lie about such a serious topic. No, something else was at play here.

In the end, it wasn't really important right now. Luffy still knelt there with him, a hand on the injured pirate's forearm, looking at Smoker with an expectant look in his eyes. Somehow, as he returned his gaze, he couldn't help but feel that this was a test. Luffy wanted something from him – something more than just support for an injured crew mate.

Once again, it was almost as if his body moved of its own accord. Stupid, treacherous, weak heart, always triumphing over his mind. Yet he simply couldn't bear the thought of Luffy's expression turning dark again. It felt wrong to see anything on his face but the cheerful smile he'd met the boy with.

"Where do you want me to take him?" Almost as if a switch was flipped, Luffy lit up again, taking off in the direction of his ship, Smoker following behind him closely with the injured pirate, Francis, if he remembered correctly, in his arms.

What on earth had he gotten himself into now?

xXx

Shadowed eyes looked up tiredly as the door which had led him to his own personal hell opened once again, his entire body tensing at the sudden influx of light. It was never a good sign when he got visitors – if he was lucky, they only came to stuff old bread into his mouth as a crude method to feed him. However, since he usually had awful luck, very frequently, his worst nightmare came to remind him just why he'd earned himself that title.

Instinctively, Law pulled at his shackles only to hiss in pain as they dug sharply into his already irritated skin. If only he could get them off. If only he wasn't chained against a wall. If only the seastone wasn't constantly draining his energy.

He glared at the creaking door, determined to at least not let them break his spirit. The bitter truth was that even if he weren't shackled with seastone, he wouldn't stand a chance. Vergo had been quite eager to remind him of that fact when he'd found him on Cannon Island. Law was simply not a match for the man – yet.

If Law ever got out of here, he'd start training again until he was ready to keel over. It had been his own fault that he'd been caught – if he were stronger, he could have at least put up a fight instead of just running until he was inevitably caught. Law had gotten to complacent after a year without close calls – he wouldn't make that mistake again.

At least Bepo was safe, or so Law hoped. It had been an unsavoury island they'd stranded on, but Bepo could take care of himself. He'd manage to get out of the Grand Line by himself once he realised Law wasn't coming back.

The thought of the look of disappointment and betrayal on the bear's face when he was once again abandoned was enough to make Law's heart clench. But it was better this way. It was better for Bepo to hate him rather than for him to stick with Law and be inevitably drawn into his problems.

Surprisingly enough, the two Marines entering the prison did not head towards Law. Instead, they opened the door of the cell next to him, throwing an unmoving body onto the ground where it landed like a puppet with its strings cut. After they'd dragged him towards the wall and shackled his wrists against it as they'd done with Law, they left again without as much as a glance towards him.

Law leaned forward as far as his situation allowed, trying to catch a glimpse of his new roommate. Yet his efforts turned out to be futile since his eyes would once again have to get used to the dark after the blinding light from outside. Besides, from what he could make out, the other's head had fallen forward, hiding any features behind a curtain of dark hair.

Slightly disappointed, but most of all exhausted, Law let himself fall back again, turning his eyes towards the ceiling as he leaned his head against the wall. It didn't matter who was with him now. The likelihood of them escaping together was just as low as the one of him escaping on his own.

And yet, he couldn't help but hope for some kind of miracle to happen. He wasn't ready to die yet, much less to make the Heavenly Demon immortal. Not that he ever would. Law would rather be tortured to death than render Cora-san's dream permanently impossible.

His breathing became more shallow, more strained as he thought of the man who'd gladly given his life so Law could have the chance to live freely. He sent a silent apology to the man as he bit back the tears that were threatening to fall, refusing to show weakness even when there was nobody here to see.

At least he'd lived for a few years longer than Law had expected himself. After all, he'd accepted his own death years ago when he'd caught the sickness. Yet now, giving up seemed so much more agonising. Facing the inevitability of his painful demise was a lot more difficult after experiencing kindness and hope again.

Chains rattling in the cell next to him effectively put an end to Law's dark train of thought. He leaned forward again, looking over to the other prisoner to see him straining against his restraints, distressed, jumbled mutterings escaping his mouth as his struggling became more desperate, his breathing speeding up to an unhealthily fast rate. What bothered Law most was the voice, though – it was much younger than it should be. Was he not the only child to have pissed off Doflamingo? Not that he was still considered a child anymore.

The urge to calm the other down rose within him, but Law refused to appear to kind. Vergo would be sure to exploit that as a weakness somehow. "Oi. Don't make such a ruckus," he said coldly, the boy freezing in his cell at his words.

"W-who are you?" a small, trembling voice finally asked, causing Law to tense. That had not been an invitation to strike up a conversation. On the contrary, he'd prefer the other to suffer in silence, as Law had taken to doing.

"That's none of your business," he replied snidely nevertheless. For a few short moments, there was silence between them, hope rising in Law's chest that the boy had gotten the message.

"Can you at least tell me where we are?" Well, so much for that. Law sighed. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to answer that question at least. It sure had to be disconcerting to wake up chained to a wall in a strange location without any knowledge as to what had happened. Though Law couldn't help but wonder how the other'd been captured to lack any memories of the incident.

"We're on Vergo's ship," Law said curtly, leaning back against the wall. He almost, almost asked how the other had earned Doflamingo's wrath. It would have been particularly funny if he was in fact a prisoner of the Marines. It was doubtful that his word would be enough to blow Vergo's cover, but the image was fairly entertaining at least.

Before he could decide whether to pose that question, he caught the boy muttering, "Thank god." Had he really just expressed gratitude at being captured? That was an unusual reaction for sure. "I'm Ace," he added, this time directly addressing Law.

"I see," Law replied indifferently. He didn't intend to let Ace know his identity, but a little risk was maybe acceptable. "So what did you do to piss off Doflamingo?" he asked, heart pounding in his chest at the little show of rebellion he could still pull off while shackled and beaten.

"Doflamingo?" Ace countered in confusion. Bingo. It seemed Ace was indeed a Marine prisoner, though that did raise the question of which crime the young teen had committed to warrant such a treatment by the organisation defending justice. Hypocrites.

"Well, we did take over one of his islands by accident about a week ago, but I didn't think he'd go out of his way to strike back so fast," Ace added non-chalantly, causing Law to gape at him in disbelief. It was fortunate that it was so dark – he didn't like showing others his thoughts so plainly.

So maybe he wasn't a Marine prisoner, after all. However, it didn't make much sense for Doflamingo to go after this kid either. It was very unlikely that Ace had attacked the island on his own – he was probably part of a pirate crew, even though he barely sounded old enough to be a cabin boy. Why would Doflamingo go after anyone but the captain?

"Wait, Vergo, I've heard that name before," Ace continued, either ignoring Law's silence or oblivious to it. "Isn't he a Vice-Admiral of the Marines? And he's working for a pirate?"

"Yeah, pretty ironic, huh?" Law commented tiredly, remembering bitterly how much that little trick had cost him. "Though since he's working for a Shichibukai, it's not completely illegal, I guess. Just not exactly legal either."

"Well, then I'd say it's more likely that he's taken me captive as a Marine," Ace mused, his chains rattling again as he moved to sit/hang more comfortably. "I doubt Doflamingo has enough of a grudge against us to act already."

Try as he might to deny it, Law was growing ever more curious about the boy, just like his suspicion about his identity. There weren't many children in the world who'd earned the wrath of the World Government, and he could really only think of one with that name. Though whether that was good or bad luck for him, Law couldn't quite decide yet. "You wouldn't happen to be Trafalgar Law, would you?"

Law froze at the words that had come seemingly out of nowhere, his thoughts racing as his heart clenched with dread. How did he know his name? Law should be a complete unknown – he'd been careful to walk through the world without leaving a trace for Doflamingo to find. He didn't even have a bounty. How could this kid possibly know his name?

"Man, this is Luffy's luck at its best," Ace groaned dramatically, obviously taking Law's silence as the confirmation it was. "My little brother, you know. He always lands himself in the craziest situations, but somehow, he always gets what he wants out of them in the end. Seems it's rubbing off on me now." There was a tiny pause as he waited for a response, but Law was almost afraid to open his mouth. "We've been looking for you, you know."

"What do you want from me?" Law finally asked quietly, his voice more even than he'd expected considering his panicked state of mind. There wasn't much they could want, if they'd done enough research to look for him specifically. And considering that Ace definitely wasn't affiliated with the Government, he certainly wouldn't be after him because he was a survivor of Flevance.

Law clenched his jaw. No matter where he turned, he was surrounded by enemies. If only Cora-san hadn't died ... hadn't been murdered by his own brother, Law would still have someone to rely on without hesitation. Maybe it would have been better if he'd died of the Amber Lead Syndrome. He might have found a cure, but his Devil Fruit had turned into a curse of its own, even if he was fond of his powers.

"Well, to be honest, I think Luffy's looking to recruit you," Ace replied, not easing Law's worry in the least. "I'd tell you to hide, but trust me, it's futile. He's been talking non-stop with Bepo about you, so he's probably at the stage where he'd refuse your refusal already."

Closing his eyes, Law tried to calm his slightly erratic breathing as he mulled over the boy's words to discern what he was trying to achieve. Law refused to fall victim to naiveté but he hadn't sensed any ill intent coming from the teenager.

There'd been exasperation paired with fondness when he'd talked about his little brother, who was likely at least as weird as Ace himself. Who let their little brother, who had probably not even hit his teens yet, decide who to recruit? Apparently the same person who was insane enough to declare himself the son of the most hated pirate in recent history.

And Bepo ... they'd found Bepo. The bear had obviously not only told them about Law, but had also asked them to find him. Unless they'd tortured the information out of his friend and Ace was simply trying to lead him on. "Bepo ... how is he?" Law asked carefully, doing his best to suppress the dark voice within him that always expected the worst, even if it was sadly almost always right.

"He's doing pretty well, considering how frightened and desperate he was when we first found him," Ace said, a sharp edge to his voice. Law felt very much offended at his accusing tone. He wasn't implying that that was his fault, was he? "He's really worried about you, you know."

Even though his effort would go unrewarded in the darkness, Law glared at the other boy. While he did appreciate the protectiveness Ace showed, especially considering how little he'd expected that emotion from the teenager, he was not going to let himself be painted as a bad, negligent friend. "If I hadn't left him, Vergo would have captured him too. They'd have tortured him to get me to follow their orders. I was just protecting him," he snapped.

A short silence fell between the two prisoners, only their slightly agitated breathing echoing through the room. "I see," Ace finally conceded in a strange voice. Law got the impression that he was working very hard not to let his dislike show. For some reason, this insulted him more than it technically should. What had he ever done to earn such a negative emotion from the other boy? "It was still not a good town to leave him in. If anyone but us had found him –"

"You think I don't know that?" Law interrupted angrily, his agitation and fear growing ever more obvious, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Stupid, inconsiderate bastard. "You think I don't know what could happen to him if the wrong people caught a glimpse of him? Bepo's my best friend!" His only friend. "If I'd seen any way to get him out of there safely, I'd have done it immediately! There was nothing I could do!"

This time, the strained silence didn't last for long. All of a sudden, the ship gave a lurch which would have thrown Law across his cell if he hadn't been chained to the wall. As such, there was only an uncomfortable pressure added to a heightened strain on his wrists and shoulders.

"What the –" Law muttered as the ship came to a standstill again, boots stamping on deck and shouts echoing into their cell. He cast his eyes to the ceiling, silently wondering what was going on up there.

Soon enough, gunshots and the tell-tale sounds of swords clashing against each other filled the already agitated atmosphere. When the noises finally reached the corridor leading to their cell after several long minutes, Law sat up, cursing the fact that he wouldn't be able to defend himself. Still, if those people were attacking Marines, he'd surely be able to endear himself to them somehow.

Probably only moments before the door would have opened, Ace suddenly spoke up again. "Listen, I'm sorry for what I said. I'm just ... I was just being stupid. It had nothing to do with you." Law looked at him incredulously, not only because that statement hadn't sounded exactly one hundred percent honest, but also due to the questionable timing.

"It's fine," Law mumbled, probably meaning it about as much as Ace did. "Don't you think we have something else to worry about right now?"

"Nah," Ace said indifferently, "that's my crew out there. I only hope they thought about the keys. Seastone's a pain." Law wasn't quite sure whether he should be relieved about that. On one hand, he'd get to see Bepo again, make sure he really was alright, but on the other ... on the other hand, Ace and his brother seemed to be a bit ... peculiar. And maybe slightly intimidating with their madness.

"We'll be out of here in no time, you'll see!"

xXx

Finn sat on one of the beds in the infirmary, his legs stretched out so his feet tangled over the edge while he had his back against the wall, his eyes never leaving the other patient in the room. Technically, Finn shouldn't even be here, his last check-up for the injuries from his last screw-up already finished, but thankfully, Beckett didn't object to his presence as long as he stayed quiet.

The last two weeks had been awful to say the least. Even though the ship was now constantly bustling with activity, the dozens of new crewmembers barely allowing for a moment of quiet, Finn had never felt so alone.

It was his own fault, of course. He'd been in a horrible mood practically from the moment he woke up in the infirmary, and that was before Luffy had tried to reward him for his incompetence. A tiny frown appeared on Finn's face at the memory as always. He simply couldn't understand what was going on in that boy's head. What had possessed him to offer that position to Finn when there were so many other people on the ship who were far more capable of fulfilling it properly?

No, it had been best to refuse it, even if he might have overreacted a tiny little bit during their conversation. With quite a bit of guilt, he recalled Luffy's first surprised, then crestfallen expression when Finn had screamed at him. It had looked so wrong, especially knowing he was the cause.

Since then, he hadn't exchanged a single word with the youngest captain, much to his ever increasing discomfort. He'd caught the boy staring at him several times, but every time he showed the intention to talk to him, Finn'd quickly walked away. It always caused his chest to tighten, but it was better this way. Who knew what the kid would say to him this time?

The others on the original crew hadn't been much better. Ivy and Francis still hadn't given up on pestering him, showing up in his room or somewhere else in his vicinity several times during a day to check up on him, according to them. Even Goode had come by occasionally, though Finn could really do without his vicious teasing, which somehow wasn't as nasty as usual.

It warmed Finn's heart to see how much they cared despite his attitude, despite how little he deserved their kindness. Why didn't they simply give up on him? He was a lost cause. The only thing he was good at was doing nothing.

The worst of them all, though, was Sabo. The blonde captain searched out Finn every single day, no matter how well he'd thought he'd hidden, and told him all about what was going on in the second unit. It almost felt as if Finn got to know the members just by listening to Sabo's tales. Clearly, his captains hadn't given up on the idea of making him a commander yet in spite of his violent reaction.

Why couldn't they just leave things be and nominate one of the new members, who they surely got to know at least a little bit over the last two weeks? Finn wasn't fit to be a commander, hell, he was barely strong enough to call himself a pirate. He'd been foolish to think he'd ever amount to anything. The people in his village had recognised his ineptitude, but he'd stubbornly continued to delude himself that maybe, maybe he just hadn't found his calling yet.

What was someone like him even doing in the Grand Line? As recent events had shown, even his mentor couldn't keep up with the strength of the Marines here. Even Ace had gotten captured. Ace, one of the monster brothers, a strong, confident boy who'd never even gotten close to being defeated as far as Finn was aware.

Finn couldn't begin to compare himself to those two, and yet he was still on board the Tigris, he still sailed along with them in the most dangerous sea in the world, he still pretended that he belonged, even though he'd known for a long time that he didn't.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to leave the crew as he should have, now even less than before. As his eyes once again found Francis' beaten form, the first mate fighting a losing battle against his fatal injuries, rage filled him almost to the brink, drowning out his doubts, his insecurities. This wasn't supposed to happen. This should never have been allowed to happen.

Francis had been his captain, his idol, his friend ever since he'd left his village, he'd been the pillar Finn could always rely on. To see him lying there motionless, with every breath possibly being his last, it was unbearable to Finn all of a sudden. He couldn't just sit here, brooding, sulking, when this was the last thing Francis would have wanted for him.

Abruptly, Finn jumped up from the bed and strode out of the room, earning himself a startled look from Beckett which he promptly ignored. Once out on deck, he headed towards the railing, staring towards the horizon where he could already make out the silhouette of a ship in the distance.

"Eagerly anticipating our first fight with the new crowd, are you?" a jolly voice piped up next to him, the bald, dark-skinned pirate sitting down on the railing drawing Finn's eyes away from their goal. Golden earrings, two scimitars, strange speech – Cameron, his mind provided against his will. One of the most vocal members of the second unit, according to Sabo.

Probably the best choice to take Finn's spot as the commander, judging from what he'd heard from Sabo. What did he want from him now? They hadn't had any interactions so far, so why would the man approach him now?

"Not very talkative, huh? Such a shame. Interesting conversations always lighten up even the darkest days," he continued in a merry voice, the tone almost a little teasing. "You're a part of the first unit, correct? I haven't spotted you amongst the second, and you usually appeared a little lost whenever I laid eyes upon you, lad."

Did he really, now? Finn hadn't exactly paid much attention to what he'd done the past few days, but apparently, he'd been distracted enough to look like he was new to the ship. "I'm part of the original crew, actually," he muttered. Part of Francis' crew. Unconsciously, his grip on the railing tightened.

"And here I thought I'd met everybody! If you'll allow me to introduce myself – my name is Cameron, former first mate, swordsman, and author of thrilling short stories. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." How the man managed a graceful bow whilst sitting on the railing was a mystery to Finn.

"I'm Finn," he replied curtly, turning his eyes back to the horizon where the Marine ship was getting bigger and bigger with every minute of sailing. Soon, they'd catch up with it and they'd fight to free their captain, and maybe to get revenge for their grievously injured first mate.

"Oh ... Finn, what an interesting name. Tell me, have you ever eaten salmon at some point in your life and received all the knowledge in the world?" Cameron's dark brown eyes stared at him with intense inquisitiveness, twinkling in the light of the sun being reflected upon the waves.

A light, confused frown appeared on Finn's face as he turned back towards the man. "Err ... I suppose I've eaten salmon, sure, but I don't know anything about the second part. Why?"

The man nodded sagely, pensively at his words. "I see, I see. Very interesting, indeed. It must be because you have the air of a vagabond then, if you don't mind my saying so. You know, since your hair isn't fair, and your complexion isn't all that light." Finn didn't really know, mostly because he had no idea what Cameron was talking about. Unfortunately, the pirate didn't seem inclined to elaborate. "You wouldn't happen to be our infamous, yet mysteriously absent commander, would you?"

Immediately, Finn's expression closed off, any curiosity he'd experienced at Cameron's strange line of questioning and his peculiar statements evaporated. "I'm not your commander," he snapped as he pushed himself away from the railing, walking towards the bow in an effort to end the conversation.

However, Cameron followed him persistently, chattering away at the teenager despite the frigidly cold shoulder he received in return. "That's wonderful! I haven't been looking forward to waiting much longer to finally meet you, commander! It's a miraculous coincidence it would be this day for the fateful first encounter to happen. I might even be able to fight back-to-back with my superior!"

Finn clenched his jaw at his words, quickening his pace. The pirate would be very disappointed if he did indeed get the opportunity to see Finn in battle. "You've been quite the subject of speculation, you know. Sabo was very unwilling to tell us much about you, so nobody really knows what to expect."

After his last statement, Cameron fell silent. Finn hesitantly peeked over his shoulder, silently praying that the man had given up. That was not the case. "I'll be frank. I didn't expect you to be this young," Cameron continued, his tone still jovial despite the somewhat more serious content. "But we'll make do. I'll show you the ropes, no worries, commander." He grabbed Finn's shoulder comradely as the teen tried to escape again.

As his evasive manoeuvres were now effectively blocked, something inside Finn snapped. "I am not your commander. Stop. Calling me that," he growled angrily, throwing off Cameron's tightening grip. The other man silently scrutinized him for a while, but just as Finn thought he'd gotten the message, a sly smirk appeared on his face.

"Are you sure about that? This certainly sounded very much like a command," he drawled much to Finn's rising irritation. He proceeded to slap Finn's forearm, the grin on his face widening. "Oh, you'll do just fine, lad. You'll see."

Before Finn could retaliate, the ship started shaking underneath them, causing him to land painfully on his but. For once, though, he wasn't the only one to lose the ground beneath their feet. It bordered on a miracle that nobody'd stabbed or otherwise impaled themselves.

"My, my, it seems our attack has already begun!" Cameron shouted dramatically, somehow still standing on his feet as he drew his scimitars, twirling them with fancy, well practiced moves. And indeed, he was correct. Finn could barely suppress the urge to bang his head against a nearby mast. Apparently, Sabo and Luffy'd thought it would be a terrific idea to draw the Marine vessel in by wrapping the younger captain's rubbery limbs around one of their masts with Sabo acting as Luffy's anchor at their own ship.

And it had worked ... kind of. The Marine ship was certainly within boarding distance now, its mast broken by the sheer force Luffy'd used to pull it closer. However, the railing at their bow was missing as well as the two captains, some of the other crew members already throwing down ropes to help Sabo drag his helpless little brother out of the water.

Fortunately, the Marines were so flabbergasted that their brief lack in command didn't really matter much in the long run. By the time they broke into action, manning the cannons and drawing their own weapons, Azure had already ordered his unit to board the enemy ship, immediately engaging the soldiers.

"Come on, come on, let's make haste and join the scuffle, commander!" Cameron shouted enthusiastically, somehow managing to drag Finn onto the other ship even if both his hands were full with his scimitars. This time, though, the unwilling commander didn't mind Cameron's actions. These were the people who'd hurt Francis and kidnapped Ace, after all.

Satisfyingly enough, for the first few minutes, the fight very much went in Finn's favour. Since he'd forgotten his staff in his room, he'd been slightly handicapped at first only to discover that true hand-to-hand combat didn't seem to suit him so badly. And though the Marines he faced weren't abysmal fighters, he was nowhere near as inferior as he'd been in the fight against the fishman.

Just as he'd kicked the sword out of his opponent's hand, he heard Luffy shouting at the top of his voice, "Everyone! Find Ace! He's somewhere downstairs!" Finn quickly dispatched of his opponent, heading towards the door when Luffy continued, "Oh! And the keys for the seastone cuffs! And meat! Never forget the meat!"

Finn chuckled at his captain's orders, their argument forgotten in the heat of battle. Throwing the door open, unintentionally unhinging it, Finn headed inside, followed by Azure and quite a few of their crew members. The blue-haired man threw Finn a pointed look before heading downstairs, while Finn stayed on the ground floor, looking into the various rooms there.

"Mmm, mind telling me where we're headed, commander?" Cameron piped up next to him as they walked through the hallways surprisingly unobstructed. It seemed the majority of the soldiers had stayed on deck or followed the larger group led by Azure.

"Looking for keys and meat, obviously, just in case the others don't luck out and fulfil all three of the captain's requests," Finn stated cheerfully, energized by the fight. He hadn't felt this good in ages. What did this say about his character, though, that he needed to beat up some people to find peace?

Squashing the unnerving thought, Finn kicked in another door to get rid of his frustrations. The sight of a rather fancy office greeted the two, both stepping inside without hesitation. "This looks promising," Finn said with a smirk, immediately getting to work at the desk.

"Found the keys," Cameron announced proudly after a few minutes of going through the cupboards on the left side of the room, twirling the shiny objects around his index finger. Immediately, Finn looked up, flashing the other man an approving grin.

"Great. Head down and give them to Azure or Ace, then," he replied, turning his attention from the various papers on the desk to the cupboards lining the other side of the office. "I'll finish up here and head back out on deck."

The room turned strangely quiet after Cameron left, Finn's rummaging and distant sounds of battle the only noises breaking the silence. Finn didn't much care, though, his blood pumping adrenaline through his veins effectively preventing any doubts or hesitations to plague his mind. Fighting truly was like a drug – it managed to do what words could not: it freed Finn of any and all insecurities and worries, making him live only in the moment, not his own thoughts.

After several minutes of opening doors and drawers, Finn came to a conclusion: Cupboards were far more interesting than the desk was. While the latter only had countless of papers in neatly organized stacks, mostly pertaining to organizing everyday life on this ship, the first were full of useful stuff.

The keys were only the beginning. Apparently, the Vice-Admiral this office belonged to also liked to keep a pretty sizable amount of cash nearby, enough money to make any pirate's heart flutter. There were quite a few thick files which surely contained intriguing information, though Finn simply threw them onto the desk for the time being. Right now, there was no time to assess their worth, but he'd try to get them back to the Tigris just in case.

However, the last and certainly most valuable item Finn stumbled across had him faltering, his eyes widening in surprise as he hesitantly grabbed the vaguely pear-shaped, ruby red fruit with the weird swirly pattern that reminded him of the first and only Devil Fruit he'd ever seen before this moment.

The skin of the fruit had a strange feel to it. At the same time it was smooth and uneven as Finn's fingers traced the enchanting patterns while his eyes followed every move, completely mesmerized by the ethereal object.

What was he supposed to do with it? Logically speaking, it was part of their loot, so technically, it should belong to his captains. And yet Finn couldn't bear the thought of parting with it. Two of the three brothers had eaten a Devil Fruit already, right? Should he really give it to them when ... when this could very well be his way to true strength?

His fingers tightened around the fruit as everything inside him screamed to just eat it. Sure, it could be some ridiculous, useless power, but it couldn't make him any weaker than he already was, could it? It wasn't like Finn was an excellent and passionate swimmer, so that disadvantage wouldn't bother him greatly, either.

Suddenly, Finn's body moved almost of its own, throwing his head to the side before jumping behind the desk. When he turned around towards the spot he'd previously occupied, his eyes immediately fell on the bulky Marine soldier who'd have cut off his head if Finn hadn't seen it coming.

For a second, it was almost as if the world turned into slow motion. He'd seen it coming. He'd ... Finn twisted his body to the side, avoiding the second blow from the sharp blade, grasping his opponents wrist and squeezed. The other man grunted in pain as his hand unintentionally let go off his weapon.

This one was a bit tougher than the opponents Finn had fought out on deck, though, trying to retaliate with a kick Finn shouldn't have been able to avoid. Just as he lifted his foot of the ground though, Finn attacked his other knee, which caused the man to fall to the floor, unable to complete his move as his head crashed against the edge of the desk.

Now that it was over, Finn was only breathing slightly faster, one of his hands still holding onto the Devil Fruit. Did he really just ... But that was impossible, right? Yet there'd been no way for Finn to predict the first attack, considering how he'd had his back to the door. Still, he'd known it was coming. So it had to be ... it had to be Observation Haki. Right?

Finn's heart pounded even harder in his chest despite the exhilaration of the fight long gone. He wasn't just deluding himself, was he? Nothing hurt more than to finally find hope only to have it crushed later on. He definitely shouldn't get too confident in his new skill, especially since he wasn't sure how he'd activated it in the first place, and if he'd be able to replicate it.

His eyes once again wandered towards the Devil Fruit in his hand. There was no guarantee he'd indeed awakened the power his captains were so proficient at. It was possible that he was still the same, weak cabin boy who knew nothing about fighting beyond the occasional tavern brawl. But if he ate this fruit, everything would change.

Before he got the opportunity to think rationally about it and likely talk himself out of it again, Finn buried his teeth in the juicy fruit, chewing on the bite for a few long seconds. Then the taste registered in his mind. He started coughing uncontrollably, spitting out tiny bits and pieces of the pulp all over the desk. Tears sprung into his eyes as he wiped his mouth, throwing the fruit in the very far corner of the room.

God, that was disgusting. Looking at the mess he'd made at the desk, however, Finn couldn't help but feel a bit of glee through his revulsion. At least he'd completely ruined the Vice-Admiral's office.

Turning his attention to his hands, looking at them from every angle, Finn frowned. He didn't feel any different. Did that mean it hadn't worked? Was he supposed to eat the whole fruit to receive any powers in return? He almost gagged at the mere thought of taking another bite of that disgusting fruit. Nevertheless, he reluctantly walked to the blasted thing, picking it up from the floor and eyeing it with distaste.

Maybe he should have waited until they were back on the ship to eat the fruit. There, Luffy or Ace or even Azure could have told him their experiences with consuming their Devil Fruit. Or rather, they could have talked him out of it. Now, though, it was too late.

In the end, Finn shrugged and put the remaining fruit into a bag he'd found in the cupboard, throwing in the folders and the money as well before heading back to the deck. It would do him no good to worry endlessly about whether he'd eaten the Devil Fruit correctly. He'd probably find out soon enough anyway. A brief, excited smile flitted over his face at the thought of some strange power he might soon be able to call his.

The sight offered to him when he arrived back out on deck was, well, tragic if you were a Marine. It was a mess. Blue and white bodies littered the ground as far as his eye could reach, the ship itself looking hardly any better than its soldiers. At some point, the second mast had been toppled over, effectively ruining what was left of the railing, little fires smouldering all across the place for good measure.

The source of those almost ran Finn over as Ace skidded over the deck, his younger brother soon following after him, though he did indeed crash into the teen. Finn groaned as he climbed back to his feet, pulling a giggling Luffy with him. "Shishishi! Sorry, Finn!" Immediately after those words left his mouth, Luffy fell quiet again, looking at Finn hesitantly.

Before an awkward silence could fall, though, Ace spoke up, "Finn, you're here! Great! Then we can finally get going!" Ace grabbed his arm, dragging him towards the now non-existent railing which would have led to their ship, throwing a seemingly aimless fireball into the direction he'd previously come from.

"Ah, sorry, did I take too long?" Finn asked sheepishly, thinking back to the long minutes he'd rummaged through the office, and the even longer minutes he'd stared at the fruit. Well, there was nothing to be done now. "I did find some cash and stuff, though," he said as a defence.

"Really? Sweet!" Sabo piped up as he appeared next to them, grabbing the bag Finn was carrying and weighing it in his hands with appreciation. "Hey, Luffy, grab these two and head back to the Tigris, I'll finish up here," he continued, turning back into the direction Ace and Luffy had come from originally.

From amidst the rising smoke, a giant of the man emerged, his entire upper body bare and a shiny black which screamed Armament Haki. Seeing the absolutely beyond pissed look on the Vice-Admiral's face, Finn didn't hesitate for a single second before throwing his arm around Luffy, Ace soon following suit.

Throwing an arm towards the Tigris' main mast, Luffy easily closed the distance their crew mates had put between them and the Marines. They reached the ship without any problems ... well, almost. Finn cursed as his grip loosened at the speed of their flight, his arm slipping from its place around Luffy's waist.

He almost made it to the ship. Maybe a second before Luffy would have catapulted them onto the deck, his fingers lost the last bit of grip they'd still had, causing Finn to crash head first into the side of ship before tumbling into the water.

Strangely enough, the pain he should surely experience due to the blunt impact didn't immediately enter his mind. Instead, his whole body felt like lead, every single limb to heavy to move. The well-practiced, internalized moves that would save his life in dangerous water suddenly were impossible to execute.

A tiny voice in his mind proudly informed Finn that it had worked. He obviously had a Devil Fruit power, though he had no idea what it was. Or if it would even give him any advantages, considering that it was more likely it was going to kill him very soon.

Just as his mind grew even hazier, his lungs screaming even louder for air, a hand grasped his arm, drawing him back to the surface. He coughed frantically as a wonderfully light breeze caressed his cheeks, wonderful, fresh air filling his aching lungs.

"The heck, Finn? I thought you could swim!" his saviour shouted. Finn blinked through the water covering his eyes to recognize his blonde captain. Hadn't he been on the Marine ship? How had he gotten here so fast? With great effort, Finn turned his head towards where the ship had been to see only countless broken planks and several injured bodies floating on the surface.

Slowly realising at Sabo's expectant stare that he still hadn't responded, Finn stuttered tiredly, "Yeah, I can. Could. Not anymore. Obviously." Why wasn't he making any sense? How could his body both ache all over and still feel so incredibly heavy, as if it didn't even belong to him?

Even though his words were jumbled and for a good part incoherent, understanding lit up Sabo's face. "Ah, Devil Fruit, huh? You gotta tell us these things, Finn! You're lucky I realised you weren't coming up!" A few swift strokes through the water on the blonde's part later and he was drawing the exhausted teenager up to the deck he'd narrowly missed before.

Too tired and now also in too much pain to move, Finn remained lying on deck, absent-mindedly hearing Sabo's voice talking to the people gathered around them. He really, really could have gone without crashing into the ship with the full force of Luffy's rocket. It would have been nice to spend a few days outside of the infirmary for once.

A thud far too close to his left ear had Finn looking up to Ace's smirking face as the raven knelt down next to his face. "So you ate a Devil Fruit? How'd it taste?" He poked Finn's cheek for good measure, chuckling gleefully when the teenager glared at him.

Suddenly, _his whole body felt like lead again, just like he'd felt when he'd been underwater. Now, though, he looked down into a half-moon bay, his eyes focused on the gigantic, yet from his point of view tiny pirate on the figurehead of a huge ship. "I take it my beloved son is still doing well?" It felt as if the deep voice reverberated even in his bones. His heart picked up speed as his mouth fell open in disbelief. He'd really come._

 _Several flashes registered in his mind, shiny blades clashing against each other, bullets cutting through the air, gigantic waves frozen to ice. Yet this all was for a great part overshadowed by the dull, hollow feeling in his chest, guilt and despair and why had they all come for him? He wasn't worth the effort. He never should have lived. Why had they come here to die trying to save him?_

 _"ACE!" The voice cut through the feelings of shame, of worry, his eyes widening as he saw Luffy falling down from the sky. Was that really him? He looked different somehow, older, and more beat up than he'd ever seen him before._

 _The despair increased tenfold as he could only watch while Luffy struggled against his opponents from above, while Oyaji got stabbed, while Marco got shackled, while the shitty old geezer stood in Luffy's way. Finally, finally his body didn't feel so heavy anymore, finally his flames could once again run free._

 _And then, suddenly, his body was burning, it was burning with such intensity that he was screaming on the inside, though barely any sound but a weak cough left his mouth, splattering blood all over his chin. "Ace ..." Luffy was once again in front of him, looking at him with so much disbelief, so much confusion on his face, his voice weak._

 _Standing took too much of an effort, too much energy, far more than he still had left. Weakly, he fell to his knees, his little brother catching his limp body. "I'm sorry, Luffy," he ground out, trying to blend out the overwhelming agony coursing through his veins. "I couldn't make it all the way. I'm sorry."_

 _"W-what are you saying? Don't be ridiculous!" Luffy shouted, desperately clinging to his aching form. "Somebody, treat him. Please help Ace!" There was so much pain in Luffy's voice, and once again, it was all his fault. But that didn't matter now._

 _"It's no use," he whispered quietly, barely loud enough for Luffy to hear. "I can tell my life is ending. I can't hold out any longer. So ... l-listen to me, Luffy ..."_

 _"W-what did you say? Ace! You promised me you'd never die ... no matter what! Ace!" Luffy's voice was broken, shaking with unshed tears._

 _"Y-yeah ..." Ace replied sadly, wishing it wouldn't have been a lie. "If it weren't for the late Sabo and a high-maintenance brother like you, I wouldn't even have a will to live. Oh yeah, if you see Dadan some day, say hello for me. When I face my own death, I even miss a woman like her."_

 _"W-what? L-like I said, don't say that you're gonna d-die," Luffy stuttered, barely coherent anymore as he clutched onto him as if he was his lifeline._

 _"There is one thing that makes me wanna stay," he continued, ignoring Luffy's words despite how much they amplified the agony the burning wound in his chest already caused. "That is my desire to see you fulfil your dream. B-but I'm sure you can do it! Because you're my brother!" He paused briefly, breathing heavily as another spike of pain shot through his already aching body. "L-luffy ... could you tell them what I'm about to say now?"_

 _"Oyaji! Everyone! And you, Luffy. Thank you ... for loving someone like me ... who is good for nothing ... and who has such bad blood in his veins ... up to today." Tears were spilling out of his eyes now, pooling with the blood on the ground. "Thank you!" His eyelids had grown incredibly heavy, and at long last, he gave up the battle against his fatal wounds. His eyes slowly fluttered shut ..._

Bright light greeted him the next time he opened them, the burning agony replaced by a dull pain, though it still encompassed his entire body. Confused, he looked at his surroundings. How was he still alive? He was certain that when he'd closed his eyes, he was about a second before passing on. His searching glance fell on the hunched form of ... himself?

No, that was Ace. He wasn't Ace, was he? Finn sat up groaning as his mind slowly returned to the present, trying to understand what had just happened to him. His eyes once again fell on Ace, who was peacefully snoring in the spot he'd knelt down earlier. "Oi, Finn, you okay?"

Finn looked up into Sabo's face, a frown marring the blonde's visage. Did he notice something was amiss? "Y-yeah, I'm fine," Finn stuttered, his voice feeling so much stronger than it had felt moments ago when he was Ace. In fact, his entire body felt like it was bursting with energy, the dull pain he'd felt upon awakening having quickly dissipated.

"You don't look too good, though, you should go and see Beckett as soon as possible," Sabo said, only slightly mollified by Finn's words. Finn nodded almost automatically, climbing to his feet.

"Yeah, I'll do that," he muttered, putting his hands into his pockets as his feet led the way to the infirmary practically by themselves. His mind was still far away in the images he'd seen before, though that was maybe a little bit too tame a description.

He hadn't just witnessed whatever event, whatever war this had been, he'd lived it. It was as if he'd been Ace, all his thoughts, all his emotion backed up by the experiences Ace'd had in the past. But so much he'd felt hadn't made any sense at all. How had Luffy been this old? Why had Ace felt such shame upon mentioning his heritage?

Pinching his nose, Finn strode through the hallways with a weird spring in his step. This had to be his Devil Fruit's doing, right? But what was his power, then, exactly? Since Luffy had been older than he was now, had he just looked into the future?

A shudder ran down his back. He really had to figure out how his power worked, if only to avoid such episodes from ever happening again. This experience ... it had been extremely disturbing. Not only had Finn completely forgotten his own identity, but he'd also believed whole-heartedly that he'd died. He'd died, and left his little brother all alone in the world.

Finn shook his head and pinched his arm. Not his little brother. Ace's little brother. Luffy. Finn wasn't Ace, no matter how much it had felt like he was seemingly for an eternity. What was his Devil Fruit doing to him? An identity crisis was really the last thing Finn needed right now!

Touching the cold metal of the doorknob to open the door to the infirmary, Finn clenched his jaw determinedly. He'd figure out what exactly his Devil Fruit power was all about. And then, he'd avoid ever using it again.

xXx

With great effort, Sabo heaved his big brother's body onto the bed, torn between annoyance and worry. Annoyance won out for the moment as Ace's feet slid off the fluffy surface, the rest of his body soon following their lead. Sabo didn't even try to supress the mean chuckle at the image of Ace's face planting itself onto the wooden planks.

But despite the blunt impact, Ace continued snoring loudly. Well, it was a fact that Ace could sleep through almost anything when he had one of his episodes, but for some reason, it still bothered Sabo. Probably because he'd been a captive until only a few minutes ago. Who knew what that thankfully short hour had done to Ace's mind?

A bit more gently, Sabo grabbed his brother again, this time placing him on the bed more securely, covering him with a blanket for good measure. For a few long seconds, his tender gaze lingered on his brother, the sight of Ace sleeping peacefully calming his previously panicking heart.

When the steady presence of his big brother, which he was so terribly, painfully used to, had disappeared back in Snowmelt all of a sudden, Sabo'd frozen on the spot. It hadn't surprised him that Ace hadn't listened to Francis and had still headed to town despite his wanted poster, but the fact that someone had managed to knock him out or, God forbid, had killed him, had more than just taken Sabo off guard.

It had almost thrown him back in time, even if he'd never been used to Ace's presence in his first life the way he was now. But feeling him disappear, being unable to connect to him, to assure himself that he was alright, it had reminded him of the utter helplessness, the despair he'd experienced when he'd first regained his memories.

If Sabo had turned into such a mess just by losing contact to his brother's steadfast presence, he didn't want to imagine how Ace had felt when he'd woken up in a prison cell. They might have spent years in the past now, but that didn't mean that their own past was in any way erased. If anything, ever since they'd set sail, it kept creeping up to him, the tiniest things reminding him of how things used to be.

A tiny hand slipped into his, squeezing it reassuringly. "He's okay," Luffy said quietly, his eyes glued to his big brother's sleeping form. "He's okay now. They're not going to take him away from us this time."

Sabo nodded, though his heart clenched at the sight of the younger raven's face. He didn't like seeing Luffy look so serious, his face turning as blank as it was possible for the boy whenever he spoke about Ace's death. "No, they're not," he added with a resolute voice, his eyes lighting up with a fierce fire. "Nobody's going to touch either of you."

Luffy didn't protest Sabo's desperate yet determined words, even if he probably knew that such a promise could never be kept. They'd taken a far too dangerous, confrontational path to ever even wish for such a thing. But still, Sabo's heart yearned for it, yearned to see his brothers safe from any harm that might come their way.

The Marines would certainly take their pursuit to a new level after what they'd done to Vergo. The Vice-Admiral was, after all, not by any means weak, so his defeat would certainly send several alarm bells ringing throughout the World Government's institutions. Added to that the publicity they'd continue to get out of Ace's revelation and they could be sure to have some very persistent followers on their tail.

Once again, Sabo was torn on what to feel. They'd known from the start that the Marines would focus on them with a scary, obsessive determination if Ace stepped onto that platform to shout his name to the world. Yet they'd still hoped they'd get some more time to train their crew, to get them to a level where they didn't constantly have to look over their shoulder to make sure they weren't dying all around them.

But now, they'd fought against a Vice-Admiral. Before that event, the Pirate Prince's crew and strength had been a complete unknown to the Marines, but now, they'd know not to take them lightly. Not to mention that, of course, Luffy'd shouted his name loudly at Vergo, and presuming the man had survived the destruction of his ship, Sengoku would soon be aware of his spectacular ancestry as well.

Drawing his little brother into a trembling hug, Sabo worked to calm his frenzying thoughts. It would do no good to work himself into a panic attack now, not when he'd faced far worse odds countless times before. They'd step up the crew's training regime, intensify their own spars, and fucking beat all the odds stacked against them as they'd always done.

Luffy accepted Sabo's frantic thoughts without a word, reassuring him with his steady, unwavering presence, with his incredible strength that Sabo could only marvel at. He'd grown so much from the seven-year-old crybaby he and Ace had tried to kill once upon a time. Now he was so powerful, so reliable, a true leader, a man who all pirates soon wouldn't hesitate to call king.

Even if he was in a kid's body right now. Sabo placed a tender kiss on his little brother's forehead before lifting him up to put him onto the bed next to Ace. He immediately snuggled up to his brother before throwing Sabo a questioning glance. "Keep him company, just in case he wakes up," he explained quietly, mussing up Luffy's hair even more. "I'll join you later."

Drawing his top hat deep into his face to avoid any unwanted conversation, Sabo trudged along the corridors towards the infirmary. He still had a first mate to check up on, not to mention how oddly Finn had been acting after he'd saved him from drowning. Despite his worry, a tiny smile appeared on his face.

The boy had found a Devil Fruit on a Marine ship, and had apparently eaten it without hesitation. If anything, Finn sure had guts, and after what he'd seen in the battle today, he was once again reassured that he was the right choice to fill the position of the second commander. And maybe, after his first mostly successful fight, he wouldn't be so reluctant to take it anymore.

And then, there was their newest passenger, of course. Trafalgar Law. The man who'd gotten Luffy into so much trouble in the New World, but who'd still always been there to pull him out of it again. Luffy's closest and most reliable ally. It didn't surprise him at all that his little brother was so determined to get him to join their crew.

Yet Sabo couldn't help but feel worried. Law had a very ... checkered past – who knew what he was like as a seventeen-year-old. It wasn't so much that Sabo was afraid that he'd stab them in the back, but he somehow doubted that Law would take too well to Luffy's cheerful persistence. He'd taken a long time to get used to it when he'd been a twenty-six-year-old captain, so who knew how he'd react when he was a helpless teenager who had a friend to consider as a potential hostage?

Well, it would remain to be seen. In fact, he'd probably see very soon, since Sabo intended to have a long talk with the former captive before Luffy could hug him in his overly enthusiastic manner. It was the least he could do for the teenager for having his brother's back during the countless times Sabo'd been otherwise engaged.

When Sabo finally arrived in front of the infirmary, a picture of perfect misery greeted him. "Hey, Bepo," he asked casually, plopping down on the ground next to the bear after the warning to prevent from startling him. "What's up?"

The mink looked up at Sabo's words, huffing both in annoyance and worry. "He won't let me in. Law's finally back and right here, but the doctor won't let me in because he doesn't want my fur getting everywhere. I even apologised!" Of that, Sabo was absolutely sure.

Placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, Sabo said warmly, "Don't worry too much. I'm sure he's fine. I'll go in and check up on him now, okay? I'll be sure to tell him you're waiting out here." The bear smiled at his words, for a few moments free of the negative mood he'd been in, though Sabo feared that he'd fall right back into it as soon as the door closed behind him.

Still, he stood up again, disappearing into the room with a last, encouraging smile for Bepo. Once inside, his eyes wandered around the room, first landing on Finn sleeping like a baby in the bed that was practically permanently booked for him.

"I had to drug him. The kid acted like he was on energy steroids when he first came in. Didn't even notice his injuries, even though he really should have. Trust me, all that had to have hurt," Beckett said from the place at his desk, having followed Sabo's gaze.

Sabo lifted his eyebrows at those words. While Finn was anything but a weakling when it came to injuries, for him not to notice them at all sounded pretty unusual. "Think it has something to do with his Devil Fruit?" Sabo asked absent-mindedly, walking closer to Finn's bed to study the teenager.

"Which Devil Fruit?" Beckett countered in a confused tone as Sabo continued to scrutinize Finn. It would be very interesting to figure out just what power the boy had received through his spur-of-the-moment action.

"Oh, he found one today on Vergo's ship, apparently," Sabo replied. "Nearly drowned because of it." Immediately, the man started cursing under his breath, shuffling over to the Finn's bed with various medical instruments in his hands.

"And why, exactly, did nobody think to tell me this? As a doctor, I need to know everything that might have altered his body structure. Who knows how the drug might affect him now? Or any other treatment I've administered? Or ..." As the doctor continued ranting during his renewed examination of his patient, Sabo moved over to Francis' bed, keenly feeling the suspicious eyes which pretended to be reading on his back.

Sitting down on the chair which hadn't moved from that spot ever since Marine Captain Smoker had placed Francis on the bed next to it, Sabo gently grasped Francis' hand, being careful not to move the man and worsen his condition.

They'd been sailing together for several months now, and to be honest, Sabo'd grown quite fond of their first mate. Francis was a steady presence who somehow managed to keep up with the trio without much trouble despite his exasperated complaints. It had really been lucky that he'd come to their island on the exact day they'd needed a lift. Who knew where they'd be without him now?

Who knew how long it might have taken them to find a decent crew if they hadn't run into Francis? Fortune had really smiled upon them all to allow them to form this crew, to give them the opportunity to embark on this adventure together. Even if they'd only spent a few months together, Sabo knew that he could rely on all the members of their original crew. No matter how rough, how quiet, how disdainful some of them acted, they had the others' backs.

Yet this time, they'd failed Francis. Sabo gulped and let go off the first mate's hand, standing up to place his hat on the chair instead. He drew one hand through his hair and breathed deeply, steadily, before looking down on Francis again. Francis was going to be fine. Even if Beckett didn't seem too optimistic in the light of his injuries, Sabo was sure of it. He still had so much more to show the world.

After throwing the motionless man one last look, Sabo turned around, putting his hat back onto his hair, and grabbed a chair, placing it directly in front of Law. The teenager looked up warily from his book, giving up any pretence of reading as Sabo sat down and returned his gaze. "I'm Ace's brother and co-captain," Sabo finally said after a minute of scrutinizing each other.

Law's face turned even more wary, and maybe slightly scared if that was possible. "Luffy?" he asked, hesitantly, the mild horror on his face causing Sabo to chuckle. It seemed Ace or somebody else had already partly spilled the beans.

"No, I'm Sabo," he replied with a smirk, his amusement even more prominent when Law blushed ever so slightly. "We're three brothers. Oh, and hello from Bepo, by the way. He's outside," he added upon seeing the teen's reawakened suspicion. Geez, gaining his trust would likely even be more difficult than he'd first anticipated.

Sabo turned slightly to the side, now addressing Beckett, "I hear you wouldn't let him in." His voice was carefully free of any accusation, but Beckett still seemed to take it as such as he huffed angrily.

"No animal will cross that threshold as long as I'm the doctor here. They just take dirt, hair, bugs and all kinds of germ in here and spread it everywhere. I can't work in that environment!" he ranted with indignation, completely missing Sabo's appeasing movements.

"Bepo's not an animal! He's a person just like anyone else," Law growled back at him, glaring at the doctor with poisonous determination. "If Bepo wants to see me, I'll go see him right now. If you don't let him in, then I'll go, that's just fine by me!"

Beckett bristled in response to Law's rising voice, opening his mouth to retaliate when Law tried to stand up, obviously struggling with his only recently treated injuries. Immediately, Sabo put a hand on Law's chest, both to keep him in bed and to steady him. "Down, both of you," he snapped when Law made a move to complain as well.

"Law, this is Beckett's infirmary, so his word's the law in general," he added with a sharp edge seeing as the teenager tried to interrupt him again. Turning to the triumphant doctor, he continued, "Beckett, Bepo's a mink, not an animal. He's perfectly capable of understanding the meaning of hygiene. So you're going to let him in now, if only to ease Law's state of mind."

The doctor scowled at Sabo's words, but didn't protest, ripping the door open with an almost petulant look on his face. Only seconds later, Bepo rushed inside, heading for Law's bed immediately whilst under the intense scrutiny of the doctor.

The relief was almost palpable in the air as Law finally caught sight of his friend, checking him over briefly when he arrived at his side despite the bear's protests about his own health. A tiny smile found its way back onto Sabo's face. It had always warmed his heart to see family, friends being reunited after a crisis, when he could witness that his efforts weren't for naught.

Hesitantly looking up from his friend and meeting Sabo's eyes, Law quietly said, "Thank you." He paused briefly, gratitude likely warring with the heightened paranoia he had to experience after his prolonged captivity. "Thank you for looking after Bepo. I was so worried." His last words were almost inaudible.

"Idiot! What were you doing, worrying about me? You were the one who was captured by Marines!" Bepo shouted at his friend, Law cringing slightly at both the volume and the accusation. "Why were they even after you?"

Law avoided Bepo's eyes, his expression closing off. "Just my past catching up to me," he muttered darkly, his jaw and fists clenching at his own words as hate and regret mingled in his voice.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. You're safe here," Sabo cut in before Bepo could pry further when Law was clearly unwilling to talk about it in front of strangers. The teen met his gaze with renewed suspicion, much to Sabo's annoyance even if he'd expected it, though if he wasn't mistaken, a tiny sliver of hope had lit up in his eyes.

"Luffy's determined to get you both to join our crew. You're not obligated to, of course, but Luffy can be very ... stubborn," Sabo elaborated, eliciting a tiny groan from the mink, which caused him to grin. "I'm sure Bepo can tell you all about that already."

"Yeah, he's," Bepo started, looking at Sabo hesitantly as he searched for the right word. It could be very difficult to describe Luffy, as Sabo could confirm from experience. "He's exhausting, but he means well. He's really sweet," he finally added.

Sensing that Law wanted some time alone with his friend, Sabo stood up. "Just think about it, okay?" Before he headed out of the room, he said with a joking smile, "We're trouble magnets, anyway. One more won't matter much in the long run."

xXx

 _A/N: Aaand Chapter 6, the last chapter of the year! Somehow, I feel like I'm only ever posing new questions in each chapter instead of answering them. What's Law going to do? What happened to Smoker? What's going on with Finn?_

 _And then, I find myself torturing those sweet brothers with their past, but it was inevitable from the moment I'd decided to have Ace and Law meet in a cell. Somehow, I couldn't imagine that Ace would be able to just take captivity with a smile, and that somehow ended up in all three brothers almost having a nervous break down._

 _I hope I didn't make Smoker too OOC, but it's really difficult to lead him into the direction I want him to go._

 _Is Luffy crashing into people too much?_

 _By the way, I changed a physical characteristic of one of my OCs. Did anyone notice? If yes, I might tell you why after the next chapter._

 _Yes, yes, I know, another OC, but Cameron's only going to be really minor. I just need some members of the second unit so Finn has some people to interact with besides faceless thugs._

 _So, I went with Pirate Prince as Ace's epiphet, both because it turned out to be really popular, and because I thought it made the most sense. Might include Ace's reaction to first seeing it on his bounty poster during the next chapter, but no promises yet. However, it was pointed out to me that the epiphet might be weird once Luffy becomes Pirate King (in the far away future). Good point, but I kind of think it'd be hilarious!_

 _Congratulations to **Caraline Fisher,** who was the first (and only) one to guess which Strawhat will be the first to join! (Yes, yes, it's Brook, no way I'm going to abandon him in the Florian Triangle for up to five years.)_

 _Ancient Zoan fruit - Saber tooth tiger for Sabo was a suggestion - sorry, but no. Already taken. (Spoilers!)_

 _ **Visitor18:** Man, ASL as a different acronym! That's genius! Though now I have to figure out a cool (and scary) one ... any more suggestions, anyone? I don't have a clue yet!_

 _A special thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 5! We've reached over 100 reviews in total now! (Still can't believe it)_

 _As always, I'm looking forward to your opinion!_


	7. Actions and Reactions

_Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece._

xXx

 **Chapter 7: Actions and Reactions**

Pitch-black darkness greeted him when Ace opened his eyes. Where was he? His breathing sped up as he couldn't make out any familiar surroundings, his hand clutching at his unharmed chest. Wait ... he lifted his hand to stare at it uncomprehendingly to try and confirm that his skin was indeed free of the blood and dirt that had accumulated on the battlefield.

A soft noise to the left had him freezing up again. He wasn't alone in the room, that much was sure. Hopefully, he'd be able to get some answers. Still, he hesitated before groping his way towards where he thought the sound had come from.

It wasn't all that far, in fact, he'd been sleeping, been unconscious in the same bed as whoever had captured, had saved him. Ace gulped at his own confusion, cursing his own inability to remember how he'd gotten here. Very soon, though, he'd find out, find out who'd taken him and what had happened to Oyaji, to Marco and ...

Luffy. It was Luffy. Ace sighed in relief as he touched his younger brother's rubbery arm, immediately being drawn into a sleepy hug by the boy. Well, a sleeping hug was more like it, considering that Luffy was still snoring softly as he started chewing on Ace's hair.

With a frown, Ace realised that he was even smaller than he remembered. How'd that happen? Had he run into Bonney while Ace had still been asleep? He wouldn't put it past her, especially if Luffy was his usual, annoying, cheerful, hungry self when they'd met. It wouldn't surprise him at all if they'd gotten into a food fight.

Still, it would put a serious obstacle into Luffy's path to becoming Pirate king if he had to do it as a child. But maybe he'd be able to convince the Supernova to turn his little brother back to normal. She'd appreciated his rough yet polite charm quite a bit the last time they'd met, after all.

His eyes continued to roam the room he'd found himself in, thoughts about Luffy's size momentarily dismissed as he turned his mind to a much more pressing question. How was he still alive? He'd known it, he'd felt it, he'd even said his good-byes to Luffy, breaking his little brother's heart again, and yet he was here now. How was that ...

His eyes widened as they fell on the second form in the bed. Sabo. Sabo as he was fourteen years old. They were back in the past, had been for years. How had he forgotten?

A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Sure, he'd had intense dreams in the past, but something like this had never happened to him before. It was like he'd lived out his last memory, his worst nightmare, his greatest regret once again, all the agony and despair and guilt he'd experienced in that cursed bay torn to the forefront of his mind to torture him even more.

Suddenly, he couldn't bear to stay in the room anymore, in this dark space whose walls seemed to slowly close in on him. Disentangling himself from Luffy's arms, Ace swung his legs out of the bed, placing his bare feet on the uneven wooden planks.

Just as he laid his hand onto the doorknob, Ace hesitated, his eyes falling on the small table next to their bed. Slowly, he let go of the door again, walking back towards it to grab the worn straw hat gently, putting it on his own head with slightly wet eyes.

He'd have loved to say that he felt better instantly, but unfortunately, no matter how much it seemed like it sometimes, the straw hat didn't have or give superpowers. Still, it did offer some comfort to have the familiar, precious object with him as he walked out on deck, immediately heading towards the figurehead.

The weather had turned wonderfully clear since they'd left the frosty island and its surrounding icy seas behind. As he sat down on the figurehead, Ace let his eyes wander towards the horizon and even further up to the sparkling lights illuminating the dark sky. A soft breeze, which would have probably had anyone else shivering, caressed his bare shoulders, the ever-present scent of the sea teasing his nose.

Ace breathed deeply. The pressure on his heart lightened a tiny bit as he thought of the endless number of places they could go to, could explore, could run away to. Never again would he be chained to a single place for as long as he'd been in Impel Down.

It was a surprise, a surprising weakness just how much only a few minutes of captivity had affected him. For fuck's sake, it had caused him such a bad flashback he'd believed he'd died again. He'd forgotten the amazing years he'd spent with his brothers in relative peace.

What was he supposed to do about that? Knowing himself, it was hardly likely to be the last time he'd ever be captured, and if he always had such a breakdown as he'd had in the cell before Law of all people had snapped him out of it – well, suffice to say, he could be in big trouble.

Yet how should he come to terms with his own death? The question alone was completely ridiculous for an ordinary person, and frankly, it sounded insane even in Ace's mind. Besides, he'd thought he had been dealing with it. He'd acknowledged that he'd let Akainu provoke him needlessly. He'd accepted that neither was he at fault for his heritage, nor was his father guilty of deliberately screwing up Ace's life.

Hell, he'd even come to understand that there were people who'd go to the ends of the world to just be with him, and that that was okay. Other people had just as much right to risk their lives for their loved ones, even if that person happened to be Ace, and even if those tiny little voices from his past never stopped whispering that he didn't deserve their affection.

But apparently, those small concessions weren't enough to rid himself of that trauma. Was it even possible to die and ever go back to normal again? A bittersweet smile appeared on Ace's face. He was really complaining on a high level. Really, he should simply be grateful to be given this opportunity to live his life again, instead of lamenting the fact that his death was haunting him.

As soft footsteps echoed over the deck only to come to a stop when they reached the bow, Ace turned around partially, having recognised the distressed presence immediately. Law looked like hell. His injuries and the other effects the last two weeks of captivity had had on his body were bad enough, but the look on his face was the worst.

It was obvious he hadn't expected to run into anyone at this hour. The two lookouts usually spent their time in the crow's nest, after all, and Dante mostly stayed at the stern, though, of course, Law had no way of knowing that.

Like the last time in the cell, a strange emotion spread in Ace's chest, all wariness and dislike and suspicion. It was ridiculous, he knew it was, but something inside him screamed not to trust Law, despite the fact that the boy had never done anything to earn this paranoia.

Luffy trusted him, Ace repeated in his mind, again and again, but the thought did nothing to endear the older teenager to him. Why wasn't that knowledge enough like it always was? Luffy was an excellent judge of character on any day, and Law had been a really close friend of his during Luffy's first journey through the Grand Line.

Realising that he'd probably stared to long, and that Law had already turned around again with a grimace, Ace snapped, "Sit down." The teenager froze in his spot, the stiffness in his shoulders evident.

A tiny bit of guilt mixed with all the other negative emotions making a mess of Ace's thoughts. This was an absolutely awful situation for Law for sure. He'd been captured by his enemy, had probably even accepted the inevitability of his death only to end up on a strange ship, surrounded by people who probably acted like nothing he was used to.

What would he feel like if he was in Law's place? Ace turned his eyes back towards the sky. "You look like you're about to keel over," he continued in a softer tone. "Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?"

For several long moments, Law stayed silent, rooted in his spot. If Ace hadn't still felt his presence there, he might have thought that he'd chickened out and left, after all. But then, Law slowly turned around, walking up to join him on the figurehead.

With the other teen now almost uncomfortably close, Ace could see that his entire body was shivering, whether from exhaustion or the cold, he couldn't say. Just for good measure, though, he let a few tiny flames roam over his own body, consequently heating up the air around him and keeping the fresh breeze at bay.

"Your doctor sucks," Law finally muttered under his breath. Ace grinned almost against his will. Sure, Beckett was an experience, but then again, most doctors were. "You're not going to burn this place down, are you?"

Aaand any sympathy he'd felt for the boy was gone again. Ace glared at him. "I can control what I burn, thank you very much," he snarled, highly tempted to stop playing human campfire. "If you want to freeze to death, please, go ahead."

"You ..." Surprise was written all over Law's face, uncertainty soon added into the mix. If Ace hadn't met Sabo and Luffy once upon a time, was this how he would have ended up? Had Law ever experienced unconditional kindness and acceptance like his little brother had shown him? "Sorry. And thanks," the other muttered, looking away from Ace.

Ace, though, didn't, couldn't look away from the teen, suddenly intrigued by the mystery before him. What had happened to Law to make him so wary, so utterly distrustful of the world and everyone in it? And how did this possibly tie into his history with the Shichibukai?

Maybe he should have pestered Luffy for more details when it became clear that they'd soon get a new passenger, but then again, it probably wouldn't have been a fruitful endeavour. Luffy didn't usually care much about other people's past unless it became relevant to the presence.

The teenager shifted under Ace's scrutinizing gaze, obviously uncomfortable with the prolonged silence, but probably uncertain how to end it. Ace let a tiny smirk appear on his face as he looked to the horizon, though he continued to watch Law from the corners of his eyes. "So ... what did you do to piss off Doflamingo?" he asked, echoing Law's earlier words.

Any previous fidgeting disappeared in an instant, the teenager freezing in his spot once again. Well, Ace had expected such a reaction, but still, he couldn't help himself. True, he was hardly one to talk, but it was unusual for someone as young as Law, maybe seventeen, eighteen years old, to have earned the grudge of a pirate like Doflamingo.

Added to that curiosity, there was also the ever-present dislike Ace felt for him, no matter how much he could see himself in the other teen. Besides, if Doflamingo was extremely determined to capture Law, it could very well endanger their crew ... as his stunt in Logue Town had done.

"Listen, you don't have to tell me," Ace finally continued reluctantly as Law stubbornly kept his silence. "But as a captain, I need to know what kind of trouble will come our way. How are we supposed to protect you if we don't know what we're protecting you from?"

The last sentence had, admittedly taken a lot of will power for Ace to say. The look on Law's face, though, was absolutely worth it. He seemed to be in a state of continuous disbelief, uncertain whether what was happening to him was actually real.

Once again, Ace felt for the teenager. He couldn't be thankful enough for Sabo's and Luffy's presence in his life, for the steadfast support and love of a brother Luffy'd always been sure to give him when it was only the two of them. It was Luffy's most wonderful ability, to make everyone around him feel like they were special, unique, perfect the way they were.

"Why do you even care?" Law's voice was so quiet Ace almost missed his words. "Why would you care, when you already know that I'll put you in danger just by being here? When you know that you'll be defying Doflamingo by taking me in?" Suddenly, his voice grew louder, angrier. "It makes no sense! What do you really want from me?"

Ace had to hand it to him – Law's glare was really something he could see grown men cowering from. There was so much hate, so much destruction in his eyes, and a darkness Ace was only too familiar with. "I know it doesn't necessarily look like it now, but Luffy, Sabo and I didn't have an easy life growing up," he found himself saying before pausing. What was he doing?

There was no need for him to tell Law where the three brothers had come from, nor about the too familiar conflict he sensed within the other teen. But somehow ... "I knew from very early on who my father was, and what would happen if anyone ever found out about me. My only guardian forced bandits to raise me because it was the only place he believed I'd stay hidden."

Somehow, he felt that Law needed to hear, to understand that he wasn't the only one out there in the world. "I met Luffy when I was ten. By then, I was so angry at the world, so disillusioned, the only reason I really kept on living was because I didn't want them to win. If I'd stopped fighting, I'd have admitted that they were right, that the world really would be a better place without me in it."

Despite his bitter feelings, a sentimental smile appeared on Ace's face as he hooked his fingers into the straw hat's cord. "Luffy was ... I hated him when I first met him. He was so cheerful, so innocent, so annoying, like he'd never had a day of hardship in his life. And he just kept following me with this stupid grin on his face, no matter how often I nearly killed him for it."

"Long story short, Luffy got captured by some pirates I'd pissed off, but he didn't tell them where I was. They tortured him for hours, but Luffy didn't crack. He'd have died before ratting me out, even though I'd never even said as much as a kind word to him."

Ace turned his eyes from the horizon to Law to see the teen watching him with a mix of curiosity and something Ace couldn't quite place. Longing? Pain? "You know why he wouldn't say anything? Because being alone hurt more. Because he wanted to be my friend so desperately that he didn't care what happened to him."

"He was the first one who ever told me that he wanted me to live. Me, the Devil's son, who never should have been born, whose mere existence was a sin," Ace finished before pausing, realising that he'd gotten lost in his memories.

"What I wanna say, I guess, is: I know what it's like when the entire world is against you, and how satisfying and yet how constricting it feels to hate it in return. I don't trust easily, and probably never will, because only so few people have ever really deserved it. But ..."

Ace grinned broadly at the teen who looked like he'd been punched in the gut. "There's so much more to life, you know? Luffy and Sabo gave me a family when I had nobody, and with this crew, we can finally help people like us, people who're lost, who don't have a place where they belong, who don't know how to use the time they've been given. People like me and Luffy, who're persecuted for something outside of their control."

The other teen had turned away at his words, his shoulders shaking ever more intensely, but his spotted hat shadowed his eyes. It was probably time to back off. Besides, why was Ace even trying to help him? It wasn't as if he really wanted Law to join the crew. "If you feel like any of those things apply to you, too, at least give Luffy a chance when you meet him. You won't regret it." With those words, Ace fell silent, lying down on the figurehead to look at the stars.

Law stayed seated next to him for the rest of the night. Neither of them said a word again.

xXx

Finn woke to Beckett's annoyed grumbling, accompanied by the tell-tale sound of a pen scratching on paper. A usual morning in the infirmary, then. Groaning, Finn sat up, his body complaining colourfully about the effort. What the heck had happened? His injuries sure hadn't hurt this badly when he'd first come to see Beckett. Weren't doctors supposed to make you feel better?

"Good. You're awake," Beckett snapped from his desk, immediately standing up to walk towards Finn. After asking a few questions as well as putting pressure in certain spots (was Beckett actually sadistic?), he handed him a pill and a glass of water. "Take this. It's going to make your day a lot less painful. Then you can eat."

After following his instructions without protesting, Finn took one of the sandwiches from the tray next to him, wondering quietly what had Beckett this pissed so early in the morning. Chewing slowly, he watched the doctor muttering angrily over his notes, throwing a glare at one of the empty beds every now and then.

"Can I leave now?" Finn finally asked, shrinking in on himself at Beckett's poisonous glare. Geez, he really didn't want to be the person who was at fault for Beckett's awful mood if this was how he treated an innocent bystander.

"Yes. Go. And if you see that stupid kid, send him in immediately. He's not in any state to be walking around already," the doctor snarled. Finn barely resisted the urge to lift his hands innocently, considering that he was very frequently the one this statement applied to. That did leave the question who Beckett was talking about, if not him.

"Which kid? The captains didn't get hurt, did they?" Finn asked worriedly, though he was pretty certain all three had seemed alright the last time he'd seen them, even Ace, who'd been defeated and held captive.

"The brats are fine as far as I'm aware. No, it's the one who was on the Marine ship, the one that bear's been looking for. Spotted hat, angry eyes, really annoying smart ass. You'll know him when you see him," Beckett replied, his voice strangely insulted for some reason.

Finn simply nodded in response, climbing to his feet shakily. The first few steps were equally insecure, but whatever that drug had been was already showing its effects. With every minute that passed, his pain lessened and his motions became less awkward.

By the time he reached the deck, he was walking almost normally, though Finn was careful not to overexert himself. If his experience in unfortunate accidents had taught him anything, it was that even if nothing hurt at the moment, it would be extremely unwise to try and do too much.

It didn't take him long to find the person Beckett had described to him. It was the spotted hat that gave the newcomer away, along with the fact that Finn had naturally never seen him before. However, that wouldn't have meant much in any case due to his self-imposed isolation for the last two weeks.

At first, Finn thought it was Luffy next to the teenager, but it turned out to be Ace wearing Luffy's straw hat. How had that happened? If there was anything one had to know about Luffy, it was to never touch it without permission, and to always keep an eye out for it if the boy didn't have it on his head.

As Finn approached the two, he could immediately see why Beckett had been so pissed that the teen had left infirmary early. He looked like a wreck, and that was still a polite description. The dark bags under his eyes alone were enough for Finn to want to send him to bed. As for anything else ... well, Finn was hardly a medical expert, but it could hardly be healthy to be walking around while looking like that.

"Eh, I think Beckett's looking for you?" Finn finally said as he reached the pair, both of them turning their heads tiredly towards him. As his eyes fell on Ace's face, he couldn't help but wonder if his captain had even gotten any shuteye during the previous night. That wasn't such an unusual sight, though – occasional bouts of insomnia coupled with the habit of reading at night usually made Ace's sleepiness during the day even worse.

"Yeah, so I've been told," the stranger grumbled, shifting into a more comfortable position. Ace threw the other a look somewhere between exasperation and worry. So Finn wasn't the first one Beckett had sent. "I don't need his help. I can take care of myself," he mumbled under his breath, barely loud enough for Finn to hear.

"I'm sure you can, but I also bet that you'd kill for some food and bandages," Ace snapped at the teenager in a surprisingly sharp tone. "At least go to the kitchen and eat something. It's not like we'll poison the food." That coupled with the wary expression on the other's face told Finn at least the gist of what was going on.

"Come on, I'll show you the way," Finn cut in before the teenager could protest, offering his hand to help him stand up despite knowing that he'd likely refuse it. "I'm Finn," he added, trying to make himself seem more trustworthy by introducing himself, though he didn't exactly have a lot of experience with suspicious people.

"Fine," the other snapped, proceeding to get to his feet on his own, which almost felt painful and looked agonizingly slow from a bystander's point of view. Finn put his hand back into his pocket with a frown, but didn't comment.

"His name's Law, by the way," Ace answered in his place, locking eyes with Finn, a certain wariness in his gaze as well, though it was of a different kind than Law's. Finn didn't know much about the other teenager, but from what he'd gathered from Ace's words and the fact he'd been held captive, the suspicion was likely habitual. However, the look in Ace's eyes ... whatever was going on in his captain's mind, it was clearly personal.

Finn nodded lightly in acknowledgement, averting his gaze as his thoughts inadvertently wandered back to what he'd seen the previous day. Now that he'd spent a night in artificial sleep, it was about high time that he turned his attention to figuring out what exactly was happening to him.

Sure, the whole shock of suddenly having a Devil Fruit power, even if he had no one to blame but himself, still hadn't quite worn off. However, right now, he hadn't just almost drowned in the sea, nor in emotions that definitely weren't his. So, he should probably do some critical thinking.

Walking towards the kitchen with his silent companion, Finn was secretly glad that Law didn't seem at all inclined to start a conversation. While he was somewhat delighted at the thought of finally having someone his own age on board, there were more important things he had to figure out.

The only problem was that he had no idea where to start. Finn had gotten an excellent view of the place this whole scene had taken place in, but he'd never seen it before. The only real clue was the masses of Marines that had been there before the pirates arrived, so it had probably been one of their bases.

The pirates who'd come to rescue him, Ace, were another mystery to Finn, as well. Ace had felt a great deal of emotion, of investment for the old man who'd stood on the gigantic whale. Oyaji. Finn's eyes widened slightly in realisation. He considered the man his father.

How was that possible, though? Finn hadn't greatly immersed himself in the history of piracy in this world, but even he knew what Gold Roger had looked like. Not to mention that Ace's father had died years before his birth. This could in no way have been Ace's biological father. So who was that man?

Finn sighed as he pushed open the door to the kitchen, holding it open until Law had entered as well. This was leading nowhere. Finn simply didn't have the right clues, the right knowledge to figure out what had been going on in that bay. It probably wouldn't even do any good to ask Ace for his opinion, since it was likely this was a future event, considering Luffy's apparent age.

"Hey, Goode, can you give Law some food?" Finn asked absent-mindedly, secretly glad that it was the cook he was most familiar with standing at the stove. These days, it could just as well be any number of people, and more often than not, they were working together.

"Oooooh?" Goode leaned forward to scrutinize Law, a downright malicious grin spreading on his face. "So you're the kid who's managed to escape Beckett's vicious claws?" Without any warning, he jumped closer to the two teenagers, throwing an arm around Finn's flinching companion. "You're a blessed miracle! I haven't seen Beckett this angry, like, ever!"

Finn watched worriedly as the cook drew Law deeper into his kitchen, completely ignoring the signs of immense discomfort the other clearly showed. The only reason Law hadn't snapped at him yet was probably because he was simply taken off guard.

"He's holding your food hostage in the infirmary, but don't you worry! I saved you some!" Goode continued, pouring some unidentifiable broth into a bowl. "I know it looks a little bland, but I heard the Marines didn't feed you well, so –"

"I shouldn't eat anything heavy, yeah, I know," Law cut in, disentangling himself from Goode's embrace before proceeding to snatch the bowl from the cook's hand with nimbler fingers than Finn had expected. The accompanying glare didn't come as a surprise, though.

Fortunately, the cook didn't seem bothered by the hostile treatment, simply proceeding to assemble some food from his various steaming pots on a plate which he pressed into Finn's hand. "Good to see you out and about, Finn!" The grin on his face was maybe a little too wide, suddenly reminding the boy of his own attitude for the last two weeks.

With the happenings of the previous day, his abysmal mood had practically disappeared into nothing, leaving a bad taste in his mouth in the face of Goode's obvious relief. He wouldn't go as far as to say that his own reaction had been unjustified, unreasonable, because he still knew very well how and why he'd felt that way.

After yesterday, though, things didn't look quite as grim anymore. While he still didn't see why his captains insisted on making him the second commander, and while he still was very unsure about whether he'd even consider taking the position, he'd actually, for once, held his own in a fight. It might have still ended with him in the infirmary, but this time, that wasn't due to his incompetence, but just his usual clumsiness.

As such, the tiny smile that crept onto his face in response to Goode's joy came quite easily. "Yeah," he replied softly, his chest growing as fuzzily warm as his cheeks at the cook's encouragement. "Thanks for the food!" he said with more strength, his grin widening a bit as he, too, took off towards the only table that had remained in the kitchen after their redecoration.

At first, the two passed their meal in silence since Goode had turned his attention back to whatever he'd been cooking up before they'd entered his realm. Occasionally, Finn's eyes flickered towards the other teen, but he was never sure how he could start a conversation the other wouldn't immediately rebuff.

It struck him as peculiar how slowly, almost reverently Law was eating his soup despite the hungry gleam that hadn't left his eyes ever since Ace had first mentioned food. If it had been Finn in his position, if he'd felt as hungry as the other probably did, he'd have probably wolfed everything down with little more grace than Luffy.

As if his thoughts had conjured his captain, the door to the kitchen once again flew open. Luffy's eyes first met Finn's, hesitation prominent on his face before they moved onto Law, an indecipherable expression taking over. In the end, he sauntered towards Goode, stating loudly and unhappily, "Hat."

Goode's gaze flickered towards Luffy's untamed, black hair, opening his mouth, but Finn beat him to it. "On the figurehead. Ace has it," he answered Luffy's implicit question, the younger captain once again locking eyes with him. He looked incredibly troubled for a moment, but then, a strangely probing smile appeared on his face as he continued to scrutinize Finn.

Even if he was smiling now, Luffy still looked so terribly serious. The sight filled Finn with guilt. Luffy'd suffered the brunt of his outburst, and obviously was still uncertain about how Finn'd react to him. Heck, Finn hadn't known how he'd feel and act around the youngest captain before he'd walked through the door, so how should Luffy?

Finn gulped and averted his gaze, his eyes locking on his plate again. He furrowed his brow. It was time to make amends, and it was obvious that he was the one who had to make the first move. After all, the sweet child hadn't deserved the harsh words Finn'd hurled at him.

Ignoring his slightly shaking hand, Finn chose a nice piece of juicy meat from his plate. "You hungry, captain?" he asked quietly, his eyes finding Luffy's face just in time to see the downcast expression transform into a blinding smile as he jumped over to accept the peace offering.

"Tasty!" Luffy declared after the rest of the food had disappeared from Finn's plate in record time. Finn finally returned Luffy's smile hesitantly. Their argument was still far from over, of course, but at least now, they'd actually get the opportunity to talk things through ... later, if Luffy's gaze sweeping towards Law was any indication.

The other teenager had kept his eyes fixed on his bowl for the entirety of their confrontation, but Finn had the distinct impression that he'd watched them intently nevertheless. Even now, when he was clearly the focus of Luffy's attention, he kept an air of aloof disinterest on his expression, not bothering to lift his gaze.

Luffy grinned at him. "Torao! It's so great to see you're alright!" Finn looked at Luffy with undisguised curiosity. What was with the nickname? And why was the relief quite so prominent on his face? He hadn't realized Luffy was so invested in Law's wellbeing, which was pretty strange considering the teen had only been on the ship for less than a day. But then again, this was Luffy. Who knew what was going on in his head?

It almost hurt physically to see Luffy's sunny expression disappear once again as Law stoically ignored him, keeping his attention on his food. Since Luffy didn't look angry in the least, just terribly sad for a while, Finn made sure to scowl at the rude teenager with extra ferocity.

"Hey, captain, here's your breakfast," Goode said softly putting a plate in between Law and Finn, completely disregarding the tense atmosphere. Luffy only cast the food one longing look, before running out of the kitchen.

Both Goode's and Finn's eyes were fixed at the closing door in disbelief. Never before had Luffy refused food, especially when he was clearly still hungry after the meager portion he'd received from Finn. Yet here it was, an untouched plate, and the reason behind it slowly eating spoon after spoon without a clue to the horrible miracle he'd just caused.

Before either of them could think to chastise the teen for his treatment of their captain, Luffy was back, a thick book under his arm which he put onto the table next to Law's plate. "Look! Bepo told me you really like medicine, so I got some books for you! They're in your room. This one's the best, though! It talks a lot about fishmen and minks and giants, too!"

The spoon stopped its movements in the bowl, but Law still didn't look up, staring straight ahead into the remnants of his food. "Go away," he finally said quietly in a strange tone. Luffy pouted at his dismissal, but didn't protest as he ran out of the room again. Did Law's eyes just flicker towards the book?

Finn's scowl deepened as the other teenager started eating again, Goode mirroring his expression, which certainly was a rare sight. It wasn't that the cook couldn't be serious, no – he just usually chose not to, since life was too serious, anyways. "Oi, listen up, you ..." he started, but was cut off by the door opening again.

Unsurprisingly, Luffy was back again, this time carrying a bag the colour of a ripe pineapple. "Hey, Torao! I had Beckett put this together for you! It's got everything in it a doctor would need in an emergency. Doesn't it look great?"

This time, Law did lift his gaze, glaring at Luffy with his dark, tired eyes. The look sent shivers up Finn's spine, but his captain only returned it steadily with a grin on his face. "I told you to leave me alone," Law stated in a cold tone, amazingly not breaking eye-contact with Luffy even for a second. Quite a feat, considering that the youngest brother could usually stare down just about everyone.

The smile slowly fell off Luffy's face as he dropped the bag next to the chair Law was sitting on. The tension in the room grew to an almost unbearable extent as he silently turned around and walked into the kitchen, returning with a blank look on his face and a knife in his hand.

Finn's heart pounded in his chest heavily enough that the others in the room had to have heard it. What was Luffy doing? He'd never even seen him with a weapon in his hands before, so what the heck was he thinking?

Even more than Finn's, Law's entire posture had gone rigid, his eyes following the boy's every move as he slowly approached the table again. Finn couldn't really blame him if he was afraid of being attacked. Hell, the teenager had been nothing but rude to the captain of this ship – if this were anyone else, such a reaction would be expected.

But this was Luffy. Despite his passion for fighting, he wasn't a person who'd deliberately hurt as much as a fly, especially when he so obviously cared for Law already, no matter how strange that was in and of itself.

Slowly, Luffy raised his right hand as he tightened his grip around the knife again. Then, before anyone else could as much as say a word, he plunged it into his left palm, only a tiny flinch indicating that he felt any pain at all.

Finn's heart stopped as the boy nonchalantly put the bloody knife on the table, holding his injured, slightly shaking hand up towards Law. "Treat me, Torao!" Said teenager had gone incredibly pale, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Suddenly, Finn was on his feet, hands slammed on the table. "Luffy! What the –" he started, only to promptly be cut off.

"You idiot! Why would you do that?" Law downright shrieked, already rummaging through the new bag frantically. "Stop moving your hand around so much! You'll make it worse!" Grasping Luffy's left arm maybe a little to tightly, Law sat the grinning boy down on the floor while holding up his injured limb.

"Shishishishishi! Now you're finally talking to me!" Luffy shouted cheerfully as if he hadn't just fricking stabbed himself, completely ignoring Law's poisonous glare as the teenager applied pressure to the cut.

"You're going to need stitches, you idiot," he grumbled as he applied a makeshift bandage around Luffy's injured hand.

"Nonsense! Some meat and I'll be fine!" Luffy countered as he finally made a grab for the food on his plate with his free hand, only for Law to slap it away.

"The human body doesn't work that way! You're going to the infirmary!" And with that, the teenage doctor dragged his patient out of the kitchen despite the boy's protests, leaving their dumbfounded crewmembers behind.

"I can't believe he just –" Finn started at the same time as Goode said, "That kid's completely –" They stared at each other, nothing but incredulity on their faces.

"What the hell happened here?" a voice suddenly shouted from the door, looking at the bloody mess next to the pair. Finn looked up into Ivy's brown eyes, startled by her sudden appearance.

And then, he wasn't staring at Ivy's soft, concerned face anymore. Instead, _Zandra fixed him with angry eyes, a fury, a hatred in her eyes unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Her sister was usually the more cool-headed out of the two, only very rarely did she act without thinking, only because of what she felt._

 _To see such an intensity in her eyes reminded her of their younger days, but never in such a negative light. Normally, Zandra had been a joyful person, finding delight in everything she did and saw. The mere sight of a pretty dress could put her in a high for weeks. She couldn't help but remember how this apparent superficiality had annoyed her sometimes._

 _"I hope you're happy," her sister stated with an incredibly poisonous voice, slamming an open newspaper on the table before quickly stomping away for her. No matter how much she shouted at her to come back, Zandra only continued on her way, a cold shoulder the only answer she'd receive._

 _Searching, her gaze fell on the paper on the table in front of her. Almost immediately, she found the tiny entry, hardly more than a few lines, that Zandra had undoubtedly wanted her to see. No. He wouldn't. He couldn't!_

 _Her hand covered her mouth, grasped at her face as her sight blurred, her eyes nevertheless scanning the tiny black lines again and again. Why would he ...? It wasn't her fault! If she'd listened to him, she'd have lost herself, become a shadow of who she truly was. He gave her no choice! It wasn't her fault!_

 _But it was. Guilt caused her chest to tighten, her breath to falter as the tears started to stream down her face. If she'd stayed, done what he wanted ... maybe she couldn't have fulfilled her wishes, her hidden potential, but at least, they'd all still be alive and together. A happy family._

 _As her hand buried in her hair, her tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, the cursed black headline never left her mind's eye for a moment._

 _'Merchant commits suicide'_

"Ivy!" Immediately, her head snapped up, looking for the voice that had called her attention only to look at her own body on the floor with confusion. What was ...?

Finn buried his nails in his palms as awareness once again came back to him. First Ace, now Ivy? His fists started shaking, but it took him a few moments to realise there was blood dropping down from his fingers. In disbelief, he stared at his ruined palms, the cuts strangely enough not at all painful.

"Finn! Don't just stand there! Let's get her to the infirmary!" Goode shouted at Finn, interrupting his dazed inspection of his hands. Nodding quickly, Finn pushed away from the table, which caused said piece of furniture to fly into the wall. He was tempted to marvel at his own unconscious strength at the moment, but Ivy came first.

Gathering her up in his arms, Finn strode out of the room, followed by Goode who was saying something Finn didn't quite catch. It didn't matter, anyways. The only thing that mattered was to get Ivy treated as quickly as possible, to make sure that whatever had caused this hadn't done any lasting damage.

He deliberately ignored the tiny voice in his head that gave him all the blame.

xXx

 _At Marineford ..._

The Fleet-Admiral of the Marines had set at his desk for what felt like hours, jugging down one cup of coffee after another while drumming his fingers against the polished surface, his face drawn into a displeased frown. Every once in a while, his gaze wandered to the pictures in front of him, that annoying, familiar grin almost sending him into another rage.

A day ago, he'd been in a state of pleasant relief when Vice-Admiral Vergo reported the completely unproblematic capture of the Pirate Prince, as the media had taken to calling the young pirate. Apparently, the boy had been so ridiculously over-confident that he'd actually fallen asleep in a restaurant pretty close to the Marine base.

And then, about two hours later, Vergo had failed to make the regular report he'd been tasked with to ensure the safe delivery of his prisoner. It had taken many agonisingly long hours to locate their missing ship – or rather, what was left of it.

When Sengoku had first seen the pictures of the scene, he'd only stared at them in disbelief for several long seconds. The ship had been obliterated – any other word would have been too tame a description. It was surprising there were any survivors at all, considering they'd fought against the person who'd caused that immense destruction.

Sengoku's gaze wandered to the blonde teenager who'd been responsible for the ship's unplanned dismantling, according to Vergo, who'd fortunately survived the attack. The thing he worried about the most when it came to the teenager was the great, big unknown surrounding him. They simply had nothing on him – neither his parentage, his affiliations, much less anything concrete about his past.

No, the blonde had simply popped up out of nowhere, much like the teenager he'd come to save. Suffice to say, that alliance would keep Sengoku awake for many nights to come, especially if he added the third monstrously strong child to the mix.

Monkey D. Luffy. Whenever Sengoku wasn't absolutely incensed about the fact that that child ever even had the opportunity to meet Gol D. Ace, he was actually relieved to finally have a clue to find out more about the three children's strengths and plans.

With a loud crash, the door flew of its hinges all of a sudden, crashing into the windows opposite of the entrance. If Sengoku hadn't spent the last half hour pondering nothing but his old friend, he'd have said that his thoughts had conjured him.

"Garp! What did I say about using the door?!" The frown on his face grew even deeper as the notorious Vice-Admiral simply laughed at his rage. It would remain to be seen how long he'd still have a reason to do so.

"But Senny! I did!" Garp whined, pointing at the mess of wooden splinters and glass shards which now so wonderfully decorated his office.

"That's not the right way to use a door!" he bellowed in response, slamming his hands on the table, which caused some papers to flutter off it, the picture of Garp's grandson included. Of course, it immediately caught the old man's eye.

"What's that?" Garp asked curiously, his ever-present grin not in the least bit diminished, though if Sengoku could still trust his senses, it had become slightly more forced.

"That," Sengoku replied with a strained voice, snatching the picture from the Vice-Admiral's legendary fist, "is the picture of the person who successfully went head-to-head against Vergo and freed Gol D. Ace from our custody."

The incredulous expression on his friend's face served to mollify Sengoku ever so slightly. So he hadn't known about the unnatural strength his grandson had shown himself capable of using. But still, the fact remained that he'd likely knowingly harboured both the sons of Gol D. Ace and Monkey D. Dragon, two criminals without equals. "He also frequently, and very loudly proclaimed his name and ambition, which I'm sure you're aware of. Garp."

Much to his annoyance, the Vice-Admiral burst out laughing again at his accusation, though Sengoku had by no means missed the tiny flinch before it was suppressed. "So the other brats set sail, too? Can't say I'm surprised, but they do make me look quite old. I raised them to be strong Marines!"

At the end of his statement, Garp raised his legendary fist to emphasize his point. Sengoku remained rather unimpressed, though. "Roger's and Dragon's sons! Garp! If you were anyone else, I'd have to execute you for treason!"

"Bwahahaha! Don't be so serious, Senny! It's not like they're their fathers or anything," Garp said dismissively in response.

"Yet," Sengoku snapped, his remaining patience quickly waning. "They seem to be quite determined to create chaos wherever they go. Heavens, they took down a Vice-Admiral, Garp! Children managed to best one of the Marine's strongest fighters! It's a disaster!"

"Aye, that it is," Garp said in a surprisingly calm tone. "At least you see now why I wanted to visit my grand-children as soon as possible. I'm sure I can talk some sense into them."

"It's far too late for that now," Sengoku countered, suddenly completely exhausted. If only that child hadn't proclaimed himself Roger's son, he wouldn't have to declare open season on such young fools, particularly ones that were important to his friend.

But he hadn't become the Fleet-Admiral of the Marines because he shied away from morally reprehensible actions. "The only reason you'll go after them is to capture them, do I make myself clear?"

 _In the New World ..._

The red-haired Yonko made his way through a field of veritable corpses, paying hardly any attention to where he placed his steps. In fact, he only noticed absent-mindedly just how uneven the ground under his feet was as he left the place he'd drunk himself into oblivion the day before.

There had been a valid reason for the slightly out of hand party yesterday. There definitely had been. Shanks frowned slightly as he searched the depths of his still sleepy brain, the answer to his unasked question mysteriously missing.

Well, whatever it had been, he was sure the feast had been more than enough to honour it, if the pathetic image his crew offered this morning was any indication. Lazy bastards, the lot of them. Shanks took great care to step onto Yasopp's face when he spotted the sniper on the ground close to their ship.

The man only grumbled in his sleep and rolled over, almost causing Shanks to lose his balance. The scowl on his face deepened as he kicked the offensive pirate in the back. Why was he still asleep? If Shanks had to be awake already, so should everyone else be.

"What's gotten your knickers in a twist, captain?" Shanks turned his glare upwards to the railing at his smirking first mate. Curse the man for looking so well-rested and ready for the day when Shanks himself wanted to do nothing more than bury his head in the sand.

"Why am I up already?! It's so unfair, Benn! Everyone else is sleeping, so why am I awake?" he whined, jumping up to sit on the railing next to his friend. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be feeling very sympathetic.

"It's called senile insomnia. You're getting old," he replied in a dead-serious voice, completely unfazed by Shanks indignant shout. "Well, it's either that, or the News Coo woke you," he added when his captain finally stopped pretending to suffer a heart-attack from the insult. "Suffice to say, it's brought very interesting news."

Shanks stared uncomprehendingly at the open newspaper for a while, before his eyes grew almost to wide for his face. "That's Anchor! What the heck's Anchor doing in a newspaper?!" Expectantly, he looked at Benn, who sighed in response.

"You know, you could just read it yourself," he chided his red-haired friend, but all the same, he obliged his request. "Remember how the papers've been freaking out about Gol D. Ace for the past month?" Shanks just shot him a look as if to ask 'Are you kidding me?'

"Of course you do," Benn continued in a soft, yet praising voice, as if he was indulging a child. Shanks practically glowed under his first mate's proud attention. "Well, seems they've managed to capture the brat, but couldn't hold him for long. Luffy's a member the pirate crew who freed him. That's part of the reasons why he's on the first page."

Fondly, Shanks thought back to the year he'd spent at the little twit's island, to the smile and the confidence on his face when he'd announced that he'd one day surpass his mentor. It felt like ages since he'd been there but it hadn't been, had it? "He can't be a pirate already, he's still just a kid!" Shanks shouted, pointing at the smiling face which he knew looked even younger in real life.

"Same could be said about that Ace kid, if you're really sure that Roger didn't have a son before he was executed," Benn said, shrugging, but Shanks could see the concern on his face.

When he'd first seen the boy's face in the newspaper, he'd been tempted to go straight to Paradise and then to Logue Town, to find his captain's son and keep him out of the line of fire. Sure, the action might not have been appreciated if the kid was anything like his father, but still. He deserved to have someone to look out for him.

But Rayleigh talked him out of it. Probably for the best, too. The former first mate certainly had a point when he'd said that the Marines would only increase their efforts to capture the Roger's alleged son if they thought a pirate of Shanks' calibre was trying to meet with him.

Now, though, Shanks started to question his decision again. "What's the other part?" he suddenly asked, remembering Benn's words.

"Apparently, he's the Revolutionary Dragon's only son," Benn replied. Shanks stared at him incredulously, but it appeared his first mate wasn't joking. The son of that scowly man? Really? "The Government's suitably terrified of an alliance between him and Roger's son."

The last part was said with a satisfied smirk, one that Shanks couldn't help but reciprocate. So Anchor was out there in Paradise already, creating a stir just with his name? He was impressed, and incredibly proud, and also furiously worried. He was still just a kid!

"Benn," Shanks called out suddenly, his voice dangerously calm. His friend tensed in wary apprehension. "I'm going on an undercover mission."

As Shanks dramatically twirled his cloak as he turned to march towards his cabin, he heard Benn desperately muttering something about subtlety and his ass, however those two were connected.

 _At Baltigo ..._

Dragon was anything but surprised when in the middle of his mid-morning coffee a soft knock resounded through his office. Sighing heavily, he looked up from the report he'd been reading, preparing himself for the impending doom. "Come in."

Again, Dragon wasn't surprised to see a horrendous mass of purple hair on legs enter the room, the unforgettable face of Emporio Ivankov registering in his mind about a second later. As always when his poor eyes took in the spectacular view, he couldn't help but wonder what had prompted Iva to choose this colourful and eye-catching get-up. But each to his own.

More than that, though, it remained a worrying miracle that whenever there was an undercover mission, Ivankov would be the first to volunteer. The reason he could never go was obvious to anyone but the okama himself.

"I've read the most interesting thing today, Dragon," Ivankov said instead of a greeting, making himself comfortable on the chair in front of his boss's desk. Even if it was absolutely unnecessary, he put the newspaper in front of Dragon, his son's face greeting him for the umpteenth time this day.

Still, Dragon took it from the table, looking at it with a blank face. Ivankov was the first to actually confront him about the content, despite it already being close to noon. Then again, even amongst his own forces, he was shrouded in mystery, so nobody had probably dared to confront him about the truth.

Ivankov, though, had never been one to mince his words, so it didn't come as a surprise to find the okama in his office when he'd finally finished with his morning routine. Another thing Dragon would never understand. Iva'd always been an early riser, getting up hours before Dragon himself, and yet he only started working three hours later than him.

"Yes, I've seen it as well," Dragon replied as he put the newspaper back onto the desk, his eyes lingering on his son's broad grin maybe a second too long. Yet he couldn't help himself. Luffy was simply everything he'd hoped for, and so much more.

"It is true, then? That young pirate boy is indeed your son?" Ivankov asked with a prying voice, his eyes alight with the curiosity that never quite vanished. Dragon could practically feel the triumph Iva was no doubt experiencing in the air.

"Yes, he is," he muttered, barely suppressing a sigh. So much for keeping his past a secret. Well. Luffy could look after himself, so the likelihood of him being used against the Revolutionary Army was thankfully small. Still, a nagging voice in his mind kept questioning if an eleven-year-old would really succeed in escaping from the Government's wrath.

Dragon clenched his jaw ever so slightly. Sure, Luffy was extremely strong for a kid his age, from what he'd been able to judge when they'd met four years ago, but the Marines in the Grand Line where a different matter entirely. Especially since the Government would definitely spare no resources considering Ace's heritage as well.

Fortunately, he had the best network in the world, short of the Marines and maybe Big Mom, so he should be able to watch out for his son. Hopefully, he'd hear it soon enough if Luffy was in trouble, and be able to save him before things got out of hand.

"He and his brothers are the reason we can now call one of the first islands in the Grand Line our own," Dragon finally added, thinking back to that surprise. While No Man's Land wasn't all that important both strategically and symbolically, it had been nice to see that Luffy had inherited at least some of his traits and conviction.

"His brothers?!" Iva exclaimed in shock, looking about ready to faint. Internally, Dragon scolded himself for the slip-up.

"Not mine," he hastened to explain, though a tiny corner of his mind protested against that notion. He worried enough about the other two to consider them his own, that much was certain. "Luffy's adopted them. Ace and Sabo," he pointed to each of their pictures. "Quite impressive boys, too, if I may say so myself." The proud smile on his face was absolutely unstoppable.

"Oh? Are they going to join us soon, then? The paper does say they're pirates, but ..." Iva started, not so subtly prying into his sons' plans. Not that Dragon had any more clue about those than his friend did. One thing he did know for sure, though.

"Not very likely, no. Luffy's adamant about becoming the Pirate king, and he has the freedom to make his own choices," Dragon said fondly, thinking back to Luffy's conviction about dreams. He'd certainly grown up right.

A tiny smirk appeared on his face. "No matter what he does, he'll be sure to kick up a storm like you've never seen before."

 _Back on the Tigris ..._

Goode opened the newspaper, anticipation burning brightly in his chest after having seen the first page. When he did read the article about his captains, however he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

There was barely more than two paragraphs which actually told something resembling the truth about what had happened. It spoke about Ace's capture, and how the rest of the crew who was hiding the son of the worst criminal had resisted arrest.

That was when things were blown out of proportion already. Their crew, for one, was painted as a group of troublemakers who deliberately wanted to bring about the end of the world by raising Ace and Luffy to become even worse demons than their fathers. Sabo remained notably absent from that report, since his parentage was obviously not sensational enough.

Then, the newspaper mentioned an obviously imaginary assault by the Revolutionary Army, which had caught the Marines unawares. That was, naturally, the only reason why Gol D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy had been able to escape.

The next few pages talked in great length about the crimes and sins of the fathers, which could be summed up as follows: Gol D. Roger was the Pirate King and therefore evil incarnate. Nobody had a clue what Monkey D. Dragon was up to, but it had to be devious since he didn't accept the Government's authority.

Suffice to say, it was a rather boring read. Sighing, Goode closed the paper and left the kitchen with the new bounty posters clutched in his hand. While there was no reason to bother the captains with the useless article, they would no doubt be excited to see these ... and maybe slightly enraged.

Goode couldn't stop the mean smirk from appearing on his face when he knocked on the door to the captains' cabin, already imagining the blonde's expression when he got a look at his bounty. The Marines would definitely come to regret their decision very soon.

"Yo, captains," Goode greeted when a dishevelled mop of black hair opened the door. "I've got some bounties for you!" Immediately, Luffy's sleepy expression turned enthusiastic as he snatched the papers from his hands.

The boy shuffled through the posters, ignoring his brothers calls for the moment. Then, all of a sudden, he burst out laughing, holding one sheet up high for all to see. "Oi, Sabo! Look at this! That's you!"

Finally, the blonde deigned to crawl out of bed, approaching his little brother warily until he caught sight of what had amused him so much. "No ..." he whispered brokenly, before ripping the paper to pieces. "I can't believe them! I blew one of their ships to bits! How dare they?" he seethed, stomping on the shreds enraged.

If Goode hadn't been so busy chuckling at his captain's wonderful reaction, he might have mourned the destruction of a wonderful picture. Because whatever else you could criticise about the poster, it certainly wasn't the image of the blonde boy.

No, what was truly bothering Sabo was ... "20 million! This is ridiculous! Even Azure's bounty is higher than that! Are they trying to insult me?" Sabo threw Ace a murderous glare when the other raven started to snicker as well, before he moved to take his pipe tightly in his hand. "They're going to pay for this," he growled, marching out of the room.

Goode moved out of the pissed blonde's way, but pointed after him when Luffy and Ace broke down laughing. "You do realise that there's no Francis to stop him this time around?" His heart clenched slightly at his own words, but he knew his friend was going to be okay. He'd already survived the worst.

"Meh, he's not going to do anything now," Ace said, wiping his eyes. "But I feel very sorry for the next Marines to cross our path." Stretching his arms, the raven walked over to Luffy and eagerly took his own poster. "78 million, huh? Guess I didn't show off enough," he muttered, but he didn't seem overly bothered by the small raise. "They're really calling me the Pirate Prince now, aren't they?"

"Don't like it?" Goode raised his eyebrows in question. To be frank, he didn't really understand Ace's surprise. The papers had been using the epithet for ages now, and it sort of was a logical thing to call the Pirate King's son.

"Kinda makes me sound like a pansy," Ace complained in a whiny voice. "It makes me feel like I should start riding a white horse and distributing roses to beautiful ladies." The mere image in Goode's mind was too ridiculous to contemplate.

It seems Luffy agreed with his sentiment. "Shishishi! And then you'll start sparkling for the media, you'll see!" His older brother threw him a mock glare at the joke, but soon started laughing as well.

"It's not like you can talk, you 56 million lightweight," Ace countered in a teasing voice, snatching the poster from Luffy's grip. "The Young Dragon, huh? What's up with that?"

Luffy pouted in response. "I dunno. It's not like my dad's actually a dragon. Why didn't they just name me after my hat?!"

"Why would you want to be called Straw Hat?" Goode asked in an incredulous voice. "It doesn't sound intimidating or anything! The Young Dragon at least sounds dramatic!"

"But my hat's far more important than my dad! It makes much more sense!" Luffy protested vehemently, clutching his beloved straw hat on his head.

"Yeah! And Firefist is much cooler than Pirate Prince, too! Screw our dads for ruining our epithets!" Ace screamed loudly as his fist caught flame.

Goode stared at them disbelievingly for a second, before slowly backing away. It would probably best not to continue this conversation. It might be detrimental to his sanity if he stayed any longer.

xXx

Luffy grinned brightly at his friend as the teenager ate his lunch before grabbing another piece of meat from his loaded tray. The glare he received in return seemed to be born more out of reflex than any genuine feelings behind it. "I really hate you, you know," Law grumbled as he continued eating, looking absolutely miserable in the infirmary bed.

"Don't say things like that, it's mean," Luffy chided as he pouted at his nakama's remark. It wasn't his fault that Beckett refused to take his eyes of Law for even a second!

"If it weren't for you, I'd have never had to return to this blasted place," Law grumbled, putting his bowl to the side as he'd finished his lunch. "Who knows how long he's going to have me stay here now. It's frustrating." Unfortunately for the teenager, Beckett was completely unfazed by his dark glare.

"They just want you to get better, so stop complaining, Law!" Bepo shouted from his chair next to Luffy's. Immediately, everyone around him shushed the bear, who shrunk in on himself. Thus, Luffy laughed loudly, earning the ire of the nurses and Beckett himself.

"I don't care if you're the captain, if you don't quiet down, you will leave," Beckett snapped strictly, pointing at the door. "My patients need peace to heal, and I need it to work, so. Be. Silent!" His own voice was louder than it should have been if his words were to be believed.

"But laughter is the best medicine! If we're all silent, it'd be like we're on a graveyard! Right, Torao?" The young doctor smiled vindictively as he nodded his agreement, which caused Beckett to glare at him in return.

It was a surprise that Beckett had even tolerated Law in his infirmary for more than a day. Since the older doctor was restricting the surgeon's freedom, Law had been absolutely insufferable whenever he could. Questioning every single one of Beckett's treatment was the one which infuriated the other doctor the most.

Maybe Luffy should have put an end to the torment Law was putting Beckett through. But he could simply empathize too much with Law's dislike of being caged, and he was still too glad the surgeon finally talked to him.

Stabbing himself might have been a bit too drastic in retrospect, but at the moment, it had seemed like a good idea. Luffy'd known that Law was an excellent doctor – he'd never refuse to treat a patient. As such, making himself a patient was a sure-fire way to get the other's attention.

Still, practically anyone who'd heard the story had made an effort to tell him just what a brainless and outrageous action that had been. If Francis hadn't still lain unconscious on his infirmary bed, Luffy'd have suspected that he put them up on it.

But with Francis out of the picture, it seemed like everyone else tried to take up his job, which apparently seemed to consist of the impossible task to teach the three captains some sense. Luffy still remembered the disbelief he'd experienced when Goode had announced that he'd be taking over as temporary baby-sitter.

Even if Luffy could perfectly look after himself, as long as he didn't need to cook or cut or build or medically treat something, navigate somewhere, play some music, or come up with some intricate lies, it was nice to know that his crew cared about him. Maybe having a big family looking after him wouldn't be that bad, after all.

"What ..." a groggy voice piped up from another bed. Quickly, Luffy turned his head around to see Ivy sitting up slowly, looking around the room with a disoriented expression.

"Ivy, you're awake! That's great!" he shouted enthusiastically much to the displeasure of pretty much everybody else. Jumping over to her bed, he continued, "Finn's hardly left your bedside, you know. He was really worried."

It was the only reason Luffy hadn't grabbed the teenager and dragged him to a quiet corner to talk things through. But his concern about an injured or maybe sick crew mate came first. That was something Luffy could easily appreciate. Still, he was slowly growing impatient.

"Finn? Who ..." Ivy started, looking even more confused than she had when she'd first woken up. Then, understanding lit up her eyes. "Oh, Finn, right," she whispered almost to herself, before continuing with a louder voice. "I was in the kitchen, right? What happened?"

"You fainted. Nobody really knows why yet," Luffy answered quickly, scrutinizing Ivy carefully. Something about her reaction had been strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"I did?" she muttered, looking down on her hands sceptically. Then she turned her eyes back to Luffy. "That's not what I meant, actually. The kitchen was all bloody when I got there. What happened there?"

Both Luffy and Law at least had the decency to look mildly sheepish. Had Ivy fainted because she couldn't handle the sight of blood? That wouldn't be a very favourable trait for a pirate to have, though.

"You should ask those two idiots about it later," Beckett brusquely intervened, coming over with his medical instruments. "Do you remember anything else before you lost consciousness? Did you feel dizzy, or light-headed? A headache, maybe?"

"I ..." Ivy started, looking lost in her thoughts. "I just felt really tired all of a sudden, but nothing else, really." Her eyes wandered around the room. "Has Zandra been by lately?"

"Nope," Luffy replied nonchalantly, though he did note how Ivy's expression fell. "Shall I go get her?" While he had heard that the two were sisters, he hadn't gotten the impression that they were terribly close. In fact, Zandra seemed to constantly wish to be elsewhere, no matter who she was talking to.

Still, if Ivy wanted to see her, Luffy wouldn't hesitate to search her out. It wasn't as if a hostile attitude had ever deterred him before. "No, it's fine," Ivy muttered faintly, and not very convincingly, but Luffy let it go. Whatever was going on between them wasn't his business.

"Well, then I'll just go tell Finn you're okay now," he shrugged, walking out of the room with a tiny wave to Law and Bepo, the first of whom looking at the door longingly.

It didn't take him long to find the dark-haired teen in the dining room along with his delicious lunch. Before anyone noticed he was here, Luffy quickly filched a piece of meat from his plate, sitting down next to him.

"Oi! That was mine," Finn complained mournfully as he unsuccessfully stabbed at his plate, looking at Luffy's face as if begging him to make it reappear. Luffy almost felt sorry for him. It was horrible to lose food, he knew that, but that's why he simply needed to be quicker to protect his share.

"Ivy's awake," Luffy said cheerfully instead of responding to the accusation, knowing that he'd easily be forgiven if he brought such news. Not that Finn was usually very unforgiving, but after the previous two weeks, Luffy preferred to be cautious.

"Really? How is she?" he asked enthusiastically even as worry crept into his voice. For some reason, it almost appeared as if he blamed himself for Ivy's fainting fit. Weird.

"She's doing great! Just a little tired. Beckett's talking to her now," he replied, grasping Finn's wrist as the teenager jumped to his feet. "Give them a bit more time, okay? Just enough to make sure she's really fine," he added, feeling slightly guilty for preventing Finn from going to see his friend. But ...

"Can we talk?" Luffy asked quietly, looking at the teenager hesitantly. It had been more than a day since Finn was relatively back to normal, so he didn't want to put this off any longer. Especially now that they knew Ivy was going to be okay.

"Y-yeah, ah, I mean, sure," Finn stuttered, appearing quite uncertain of himself all of a sudden. "Let's go to my room, okay?" he added, walking towards the door hastily almost as if he was trying to escape.

Luffy frowned but nodded, preferring to keep the conversation limited to themselves for now as well. But Finn's insecurity made him a bit nervous. Everything had practically been fine yesterday, right? So what had changed?

"Are you okay, Finn?" he finally asked when they arrived at his room, closing the door behind him. The teenager sat down on his bed, interlacing his fingers as he looked down on them.

"Yeah, I am," he replied, his voice slightly more steady, "just worried about Ivy, I guess."

"I'm not mad at you, you know that, right?" Luffy quietly voiced his only idea as to what else could be wrong with Finn. There was something the raven wasn't telling him. "Neither are Sabo and Ace. It's alright if you don't want to be a commander."

Finn looked at him with surprise, and something else. "Really?" he asked, his voice once again shaking, his expression suddenly downcast. That wasn't what Luffy'd intended.

"If you have a good reason," he added, planning to make it very clear to Finn that they still wanted him to take the position. "You're a really strong fighter, Finn, even if you don't believe it. You just had bad luck since we've come to the Grand Line. It happens," he said pensively. Bad luck was sort of a mystery to him.

"We didn't choose you out of pity," Luffy continued, causing Finn to flinch slightly at the words he'd once thrown at his captain. "Being a commander is important, so we wouldn't just give the position to anyone. You have to know that."

"Yeah, I do," Finn replied, clenching his jaw slightly. "I mean, I know. I know I treated you unfairly that day, and I'm sorry," Finally, he looked up again, his blue eyes meeting Luffy's more seriously than ever before. "I can't say yes now either, though."

Luffy frowned lightly again, but didn't waste much time pondering his reasons. "Why not?" he asked bluntly instead, since he'd already told Finn that he couldn't refuse without a good reason.

"I need to figure out my Devil Fruit first," Finn muttered, looking extremely frustrated. "I'm not much good if I have no clue what I'm doing, so it wouldn't make much sense to accept even more work when I'm still having trouble with whatever power I got."

That did catch Luffy's attention. "Do you know what you can do already?" With all that had happened since they'd freed Ace, Finn's Devil Fruit had sort of slipped to the back of his mind. It didn't come a surprise, however, that it greatly preoccupied the teenager himself.

"No, I don't," Finn hastily said, almost sounding embarrassed. "How did you find out what you could do?" he added before Luffy could ponder his strange attitude further.

"It was kinda hard to miss. I turned into rubber, y'know," Luffy said with a broad grin, remembering Shanks' outraged expression when his Devil Fruit'd disappeared. He couldn't wait to meet the Yonko again. "Finding your ability usually isn't very difficult, it's controlling it that's pretty hard to learn."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Finn grumbled moodily. "I guess I have a particularly annoying ability, then, if I can't even figure out what it is," he added with a sigh, though he'd started to look very pensive again.

That definitely had to stop. "It's going to do you no good if you sit in here and think! You have to go out and experiment a bit, or you'll never learn anything new!" Luffy shouted, dragging Finn along with him out on deck.

"Oi! You're the one who wanted to talk! You can't blame me!" Finn complained, unsuccessfully punching Luffy's head. How fortunate that nobody except Ace and Sabo knew Haki on this ship, or his escapades would have already become far more painful.

As always, Luffy's eyes immediately wandered to his favourite seat on the figurehead of every ship. In this life, though, he'd seemed to be fated to share that spot, since Ace seemed to have taken a liking to it as well.

So it didn't particularly surprise him to see his big brother on the white tiger, looking into the distance, completely ignoring the book in his lap. "I'll go see Ace, okay?" he shouted at Finn, letting go of his hand as the teenager nodded.

Fortunately, Ace didn't wear his hat, instead leaving it to dangle on his back, so Luffy didn't have any obstacles in his way to putting his own on Ace's head. Surprised at the sudden weight, his older brother looked up, scooting over to make room for Luffy. "Watcha doing here, Lu?"

"Thought I'd check up on you," he casually said, but couldn't quite keep the worry out of his voice. His older brother liked to put up a strong front for Luffy, but he wasn't that easily fooled. Even if Ace had given him his hat back without a comment the day before, it was obvious that his captivity had bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

"Geez, I'm fine, really, why wouldn't I be?" If Ace had said those words in a bitter voice, Luffy might have continued to pester him, but surprisingly, there was a bright smile on his face. "I know I worried you, but trust me, I'm handling it alright."

"Besides," Ace continued after a small pause while Luffy scrutinized him, turning back to the horizon. "I'm on a great ship, surrounded by my little brothers and my crew, sailing towards the end of the world. Nothing can get me down."

Luffy laughed at Ace's both petulant and determined look and nudged his shoulder. "The end's still pretty far away, though, y'know?"

xXx

 _A/N: And with this hopeful note, you've reached the end of this chapter! Let me know what you thought about it!_

 _Seriously, do tell me. This chapter went nothing like I'd intended to. In the first shot, I wanted Law to open up about his past, but suddenly, Ace was rambling about his instead. So I figured - okay. It would have been weird for our paranoid surgeon to be in a sharing mood, anyways._

 _Then, Luffy's introduction to Law got kind of out of hand. But Law'd been told so much about him, practically told that he had to like that I figured he'd try his best not to. Thus, drastic action on Luffy's part._

 _The stuff happening across the world was literally the only part that went as planned. Therefore the title 'Actions and Reactions'._

 _I really wanted to end it with a huge cliffie (you can look forward to that in the next chapter without the cliffhanger part, most likely) but it took place weeks after the happenings in this chapter. So instead, I decided to wrap the first Finn conflict up._

 _So, please, tell me your thoughts! I really appreciate them!_

 _To address some of the questions not answered in this chapter:_

 _I've been thinking about what I'm going to do with Franky and Robin. To be honest, it's not likely they're going to appear any time soon. Franky's God knows where and even if they happened to run into him, he'd probably want to return to Water Seven. (Now that I think about it, wouldn't be undoable ...) And Robin ... well, I'm planning on mentioning her, since she is the only one who can read Poneglyphs, but I'm not sure when she'll have her first appearance._

 _The folders from Vergo's office - they're kind of like Schrödinger's cat right now. Until I know whether I can use them, they both still exist and were destroyed._

 _There's also a very persistent guest who keeps insisting I should give Sabo a Devil Fruit, a Zoan preferably. I'm curious, why do you want that? Also, what do the rest of you think about it?_

 _Finn's Devil Fruit - totally not going to tell you now. You'll find out next chapter!_

 _And finally: Thanks for all the positive feedback! Every follower, favorite and review makes my day!_


	8. The Birth of the Grim Reaper

_Disclaimer: I don't know anything you recognize._

xXx

 **Chapter 8: Birth of the Grim Reaper**

Law leaned against the railing, staring directly into the morning sun which tinged the sky and the sea into a wonderful mix of orange, violet and pink. No matter where he looked, all he could see was the endless ocean, and the limitless freedom that came with it.

Even if his first crack at being a pirate had turned out less than optimal, he'd never lose that feeling when he looked at the ocean. Especially now, after he'd stayed cooped up for weeks in a tiny cell without any prospect of ever escaping captivity.

He might never want to admit it to his face, but Law was infinitely glad that he'd met Ace in his cell that day. If not for him, Law's life might already be forfeit by now, sacrificed to make a power-thirsty man even more powerful. That, or he'd be enjoying the tender care of Doflamingo's subordinates.

Instead, he was on a different pirate ship now, experiencing something he'd never thought he'd ever feel again. Cora-san's strangely knowing smile popped into his head. Yes. Now, he was truly free. Nothing to restrict him anymore.

Should he really, though? Bepo was happy here, that much was certain. It hadn't taken Law much more than a few minutes in his company to realise that. And, if Law was honest with himself, the days he'd spent on the Tigris had been the most wonderful in a long time.

However, it was also that fact which had him hesitating. They didn't deserve to have someone like him on board, someone who'd ruin their lives just by his mere presence. Doflamingo had just proven that he'd certainly not forgotten about him, and this tiny obstacle in his path would surely not stop him for long.

No. Doflamingo would definitely come after him very soon, and if he didn't leave this crew behind, they'd be drawn into a fight they couldn't hope to win.

Yet Luffy had been able to hold his own against Vergo, and together, the crew had bested the Vice-Admiral. So maybe, just maybe ...?

No. Law looked down on his hands, on the delicate letters spelling 'DEATH' he'd gotten just shortly before the entire debacle with Vergo. It wasn't fair of him to ask them to fight for him, a stranger, no matter how willing they seemed to be.

Because there was one thing Law didn't doubt for a second. If Luffy caught wind of the trouble he was in with Doflamingo, he wouldn't take no for an answer anymore. He would march up right to the Heavenly Demon and punch him for hurting his nakama. No regrets.

A tiny, no, actually a very large part within Law would give anything to see that scene. The way Luffy cared about the people on his crew, even about people he hadn't convinced to join yet was absolutely heart-warming. It gave Law a feeling of belonging like he hadn't experienced since he'd lost his family.

It had never been quite the same with Cora-san. No matter how much Law had loved him in the end, at the beginning, Cora-san had only protected him because of the D initial, whatever its significance truly was. This crew, though, seemed to accept him without any ulterior motives from the start.

His mind wandered back to the mysterious letter which had only once saved his life. The same initial that both Luffy and Ace bore as well. Not for a second did Law doubt that they would bring the storm Cora-san had talked about. Both of them were catalysts, simply by the fact that they existed. Though which events they would cause in the end, and how these would change the world would remain to be seen.

And Law wanted to be there to see it. No, more than that, he wanted to be there and change the world with them. Not for any hidden motivations such as getting revenge for the slaughter of Flevance – no, because he wanted to be there for them, to fight on their side.

It was a selfish wish, but nevertheless, Law indulged in it for a short while. Just for a bit, he imagined what it would be like if he agreed to join the crew, as Luffy had been pestering him to non-stop. He thought of all the ways he'd be able to improve his fighting, of all the people who'd be there to support him, and who he'd support in return.

He dreamed of calmly waking up each morning from his peaceful sleep in the cabin they'd assigned him, snuggled against Bepo's fur, the fear of enclosed spaces long since gone. He playfully dreaded the food fights that would break out during meal times because Luffy couldn't keep his hands to himself.

It sounded too good to be true, too amazing to give up. Yet Law knew that that was precisely what he'd have to do when the time came, his feelings be damned. Wasn't it better to know that this paradise existed out there, instead of being responsible for its destruction?

A poodle almost running him over jerked Law out of his thoughts. Well, later, he'd make sure to claim such. After all, it would be far too embarrassing to admit that such a fluffy little dog had managed to throw him to the ground.

Right now, though, Law sat on his ass, looking at the furry menace in surprise. The dog was looking at him with equally wide eyes in return, before deciding to make a break for it. "Oh, no, you don't," Law muttered darkly, quickly creating a room with his hand.

The poor animal probably had no idea what had happened when it reappeared just within Law's arm reach after having been almost across deck a second ago. However, Law didn't exactly care much about the poodle's feelings as he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, looking straight into its scared eyes.

"Never, ever, do that again. Do you understand me?" Law threw the most dangerous glare he could muster up at the dog, which quickly avoided his eyes. When he put it back down onto the floor between his outstretched legs, it didn't move from its spot, only whimpering pathetically.

When it turned its big blue dog eyes on him, Law scowled in response. "Don't look at me like that. Whatever you want, it's none of my business. Go find someone who cares," he growled at the animal, missing the previous heat in his voice. Damn the dog for looking so pathetically cute.

The poodle sounded almost desperate when he whimpered again, scratching at the leg of Law's trousers before trotting back towards the crew's quarters. In front of the door, it stopped, looking expectantly back at the teen.

"You want me to follow you?" Law asked, perplexed. Then he remembered that he was talking to a fricking dog. At best, it would probably want some food from him. He seriously couldn't be bothered to stand up for that, especially since it was the poodle's fault he was on the floor in the first place.

Then, the animal whined again, looking back at Law with almost pleading eyes. When had a dog's eyes suddenly become so expressive? It was seriously starting to freak him out. It almost felt like it had a personality of its own. Sure, Law'd heard it said that dogs were incredibly intelligent, but until now, he hadn't really believed it.

Grumbling under his breath, he got to his feet and reluctantly shuffled to the door. Of course, the annoying dog started wagging its tail in joy, jumping up to open the door with its paws as Law approached. The teenager stared. How ...?

After seeing the dog's impressive trick, Law was now properly intrigued. Picking up speed, he followed the dog through the hallways and into a bedroom he hadn't been in before. Not that that was a miracle, really – he wasn't yet creepy enough to watch people sleep.

It was a single bedroom, though, so the possibilities were rather limited. Only the two commanders had single bedrooms – whether they'd accepted the position already or not. Aside from them, there was Dante, the head navigator, since he was apparently nocturnal and the first mate, Francis, still confined to the infirmary, though he shared his room with his friend.

Taking a quick look around, Law decided that it was most likely his peer's room. There were no maps, as he'd expect if it was the navigator's room, and he was pretty sure that he'd seen Finn practice with the staff in the corner.

That still left the question why, precisely, Law was in his room now. He turned his eyes back to the dog who'd jumped up onto the teen's bed, looking at Law expectantly again. In turn, he narrowed his eyes. "I don't think I've ever had an animal telling me I need to get some sleep," he grumbled, turning around to leave the room again.

The poodle's barking stopped him mid-motion. "What do you want now?" Law growled, turning back around to find the dog glaring back at him with almost the same fierceness as Law had before. Feeling almost offended, Law crossed his arms. "What is it? I don't speak dog, so stop looking at me like that!"

As he furiously stared back at the animal, a sudden weakness swept over him, his eyes becoming fixated in their spot almost as if he was falling asleep while standing. His eyes turned incredibly dry, his eyelids heavy, and still it almost felt impossible to blink.

It was a strange kind of tiredness to experience, but it was nothing Law wasn't used to. Finally, he managed to close his eyes, rubbing them with incredible weariness. Maybe he should try to get more sleep. But the mere idea of deliberately making himself vulnerable, of not knowing whether he'd still wake in the same place kept him up at night.

Sighing, he opened his eyes to find the dog frozen in its spot, its glowing red eyes still fixed on Law's. As his vision blackened at the edges, Law quickly turned his gaze away from the poodle, breathing heavily. What the heck was up with that thing? It was almost as if ...

It was draining his energy, Law suddenly realised. The mere idea sounded eerie, almost as if he was talking about some demon rising from the abyss, but it made so much sense. Since he'd arrived on the ship two weeks ago, a couple of people had fainted for no apparent reason. But maybe he was looking at it now?

Warily, Law approached the strange animal, step after step, being careful never to raise his gaze beyond its paws. Whatever it was that it was doing, it obviously had something to do with its eyes. So logically, the best course was to avoid them for now.

By the time Law reached the edge of the bed, the poodle still hadn't moved an inch. The dark-haired teenager frowned. If this was supposed to be an enemy attack, the animal was sure going about it in a strange way. Apparently, whenever it used its power, it was completely defenceless, basically dead to the world.

Hesitantly, Law raised his hand, uncertain if he should disturb the dog during whatever he was doing. What if he realised Law was onto him, and suddenly decided to attack? To silence him? Silently, he chided himself for freaking out over a dumb dog. But the tiredness was still stuck in his bones, reminding him of its strange, frightening abilities.

In the end, he lightly poked the animal in the side. His eyes flew to the still open door, praying that nobody was here to witness that particularly pathetic moment of his. Then, a sudden weight on the bed next to him immediately drew his gaze back to the dog's previous spot.

However, there was no poodle next to him anymore. Law froze as he looked into Finn's wide blue eyes, tears in their corners. The other teenager was breathing heavily, the expression on his face one of absolute despair as one hand clutched his chest. "I'm sorry, Gods, I'm so sorry," he muttered breathily, burying his other hand in his hair as he broke eye contact.

Law's discomfort only grew as the other boy completely broke down, hugging his knees, shivering on his entire body as he started to cry. Why was he here of all people? Finn was the one who'd led him here, Law suddenly realised. It was widely known across the ship that he'd eaten a Devil Fruit, but had yet to figure out just what his power was.

Considering that he'd turned into a dog, he was definitely a Zoan. Yet Law doubted that was all there was to it as the glowing red eyes once again popped into his head. Still, the teenager'd likely woken up as an animal and had tried to find help wherever he could get it.

And he'd happened to run into Law. Tough luck for him. Law smiled bitterly, but still stood up from where he'd knelt next to the bed and closed the door. He might be awful at comforting other people, but the least he could do is spare him some humiliation.

He sat down on the bed next to Finn, scrutinizing the teenager while he cried. Occasionally, he'd heard it said around deck that he was going through a difficult phase, but unfortunately for Law, he hadn't taken a great interest in the people on the ship before. After all, he'd been trying to keep his distance.

Now, though, some knowledge about the teen's character, about what was usual and unusual for him would have been worth gold. Well, hindsight was always better than foresight.

At long last, Finn quieted down bit by bit, his head still buried between his knees. "You almost had me fainting there, you know," Law finally drawled, getting sick of the tense silence between them. Finn's head shot up abruptly.

"I'm sorry, I –" he started, his voice trembling. Frankly speaking, Law was getting quite sick of his weakly performance. They wouldn't get anywhere if Finn didn't get his shit together.

"You don't have a clue what you're doing. Yes, I've realised that," he snapped, regretting his harsh tone immediately as Finn flinched. Losing his patience wouldn't make this any easier. "Look, apologising isn't going to do you any good right now. What you need to do is figure out just what's happening to you," he added a bit more softly.

But Finn didn't seem to be quite ready to calm down yet. "I know! I've been trying! But ..." The teenager choked, clenching his fists as he pressed his eyes shut. "T-there's just so much pain, and despair, so much regret ... I can't take it anymore. It's tearing me apart. I hardly know who I am anymore."

Law continued looking at the boy as he delivered his jumbled explanation which he could probably barely understand himself. Only now, he noticed how exhausted the other looked, how deep the bags under his eyes were. It was obvious that there was something nagging at him.

"I hope you know you're not making any sense," Law stated bluntly. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on. So slow down," he added strictly, ignoring the wide-eyes look he received in return, "and try to answer my questions as clearly as you can. What's up with all that negativity you just talked about?"

Finn looked at him hesitantly, kneading his fingers anxiously. "I-it's what I, no, they feel just before they faint. I get flashes of their lives – no, not just that – it's like I live a few moments of their lives, with all their emotions and memories thrown into the mix. And there's always so much –" his voice broke again.

What had he seen? Law had felt the energy flowing out of him, his strength leaving him, so he didn't doubt that Finn had received some impressions from him as well. There were plenty painful memories stored away in his heart, and all of them were too personal for others to know about.

Only barely keeping himself from shouting at the teenager for invading his privacy, Law frowned lightly. For a moment, he was tempted to ask him what he'd seen, but in the last second, he stopped himself. He didn't want any pity, nor did he want to relive his worst moments through another person's tales.

Maybe it was inevitable, though, to figure out what Finn's abilities were all about. From what he'd said so far, he'd only seen horrible memories, moments full of agony and regret. How did this fit in with people fainting, and his own transformation into a dog?

All of a sudden, Law's eyes widened in realisation. An old legend popped up in his head, one he hadn't thought about in ages. It was a dark, scary one, as he'd taken to reading after being confronted with reality.

A legend of impending doom and certain death. The legend of the black dog with glowing red eyes, which could only be seen by people who were fated to perish soon. It all fit – Finn's animal form, the dissipating energy, even the flashes he saw of other people's lives. It was said that your own life, or in this case, your worst regrets pass before your eyes when you're about to die.

Slowly, Law shared his conclusions with the other teenager, keeping a careful eye on his reaction. He didn't protest even once while Law voiced his thoughts, instead appearing strangely resigned. In the end, he nodded. "You're right, it fits perfectly," he muttered, staring at his hands. "I don't want it."

"It's too late for that now," Law replied calmly. The days he regretted eating his Devil Fruit were few and far in between, but he wasn't a stranger to that feeling. "This power is a part of you, and it's your responsibility to learn to control it."

"Yeah, I'm sure people are dying to relive their worst memories and faint only so I can learn," Finn snapped bitterly. "I sure as hell can do without their suffering," he grumbled under his breath, now glaring darkly at his hands.

"You'll only know how to avoid it if you know how to use it," Law said impatiently. Why was he even bothering? It wasn't his problem – but still, he didn't want anyone to see what he'd buried deep within his soul. "I'm sure your captains can remain standing once they know what to look out for," he added pensively.

It was the sort of thing Luffy would surely do for his crew mates. The child didn't shy away from any sort of physical pain if it meant helping other people. Certainly, that would extend to the emotional counterpart, as well.

"Yeah ... You know," Finn suddenly said quietly, his voice serious, "there's something strange going on. Really strange, now that I think about it." Just as abruptly, he shut up again, staring at the wall in silent contemplation.

"What is it?" Law asked as the silence stretched too long for his taste, dread spreading in his chest. He didn't like the look on Finn's face one bit.

"Whenever someone's fainted on me, I saw bits and pieces of their past, some event that greatly influenced them. Their regrets, like you said. But with the captains ..." he paused again, but this time, he continued without prompting. "They're older than they are now. Ace is tortured to the brink of insanity, in body and soul, and he dies in Luffy's arms. And Sabo –"

"Maybe you're just seeing a part of their future because they don't have any past regrets," Law cut in before Finn could reveal anything else as horrid as the small part he'd said about Ace. His big brother dying in his arms – Law didn't even want to contemplate what that would do to Luffy.

"That's just it. It doesn't fit! Just with Ace, he feels so much hatred for his father, and he's part of a different crew, and," Finn suddenly stops himself, taking a deep breath. "It's more obvious with Sabo, though. When I saw him, he was reading about Ace's death, and he remembered. He had amnesia, Law. Since he was in an explosion as an eleven-year-old, he couldn't remember anything about his childhood. Ace and Luffy thought he was dead."

Law's mind was reeling as he tried to make sense of the new revelations. Finn was right. There was something really weird going on here. If only Law could be sure it was just another strange quirk of Finn's ability, but something told him that wasn't the case.

No, it felt more like Law and Finn were starting to scratch at the illusion the three brothers had built up around them, like he was finally getting the chance to figure out what had been bothering him about the trio from the start. Not only their surreal strength, but also their attitude, in particular Luffy's. Something about them had always bugged him, but he could never quite put his finger on it.

What could it possibly be, though? The three boys were strange, sure, but there was plenty of especially unique people out there in the world. How did these visions Finn had fit in with what Law already knew about them?

Determination and a familiar, burning curiosity rose in Law's chest. Oh, he'd find out what they were hiding alright. There was no stopping a doctor on his way to uncovering the truth.

xXx

Sabo strolled through the streets of their rundown town, waving at his most favourite barkeeper ever, who rapidly paled at the attention. Even if he was greatly tempted to stop by and torment the man a little bit more, he continued on his way to the castle, fully intending to arrive there before Ace and Luffy could.

Otherwise, the best food would be gone, and no matter how much he loved his brothers, he wasn't feeling very generous right now. It might be slightly related to the fact that the two hadn't let him live down his pathetic bounty for more than a few blissful moments.

Scowling darkly, Sabo buried his fists in his pockets, quickening his pace. When they'd freed Ace, it had seemed like a good idea to regroup on No Man's Land, since their Log Pose hadn't set at Snowmelt yet. Sailing back to the Marine Base would have been a singularly bad idea after having just destroyed one of their ships and Vice-Admirals.

Of course, they'd still have to stop there at some point, unless they bought an Eternal Pose in this town. That was rather unlikely, though, since Ace was once more insistent on following his father's Paradise Log Pose, now that they'd actually stay long enough for it to set.

If he'd known how ridiculously sentimental his brother would turn out to be, he would have let the hatred for the Pirate King fester like he had during their last life. But it was too late for that now, and he'd have to live with the consequences.

Consequences like being utterly disregarded just because Ace and Luffy had flashier names. By now, his nails were digging into his palms, his mind trapped in an eternal circle of rage and indignation. Thinking about it, he could hardly wait to return to the G-9. It was due for some ... major reconstruction.

"Oi, Sabo, wait up." Despite the calm, almost quiet quality of the shout – and wasn't that a strange impression if he'd ever had one – the blonde captain was immediately alert. He had to be, considering who he'd be dealing with in a second.

"Law," he greeted with a smile, trying to convey as much warmth as he could muster up in his revengeful mood, which was a considerable lot more than Ace would ever be able to show. But if there was one thing Sabo was infinitely glad for, it was that he was different his older brother. He'd die of shame before letting jealousy rule him like it did Ace.

It didn't surprise him that Law wasn't alone. The surgeon was almost always with Bepo, unless Luffy'd managed to separate the two for once to try and destroy what was left of Law's sanity. Quality bonding time for the two former allies, as he liked to call it.

Strangely enough, though, it wasn't the white bear who was accompanying the young doctor. Instead, Finn was walking side by side with him, throwing around anxious looks every once in a while. "What's up?" Sabo asked, trying and failing to keep the suspicion out of his voice.

"We need to talk," Law said seriously, piercing him with his intense grey eyes. "Somewhere private if possible. It's about Finn's Devil Fruit."

"So you've figured out what it is?" Sabo asked curiously, choosing to look at Finn, who wouldn't meet his eyes as he nodded. "That's good ... isn't it?" His eyes darted between the two now, trying to pick up just what was going on. They both seemed strangely tense, suspicious, uncertain. But what was the reason for it?

"I was just heading for the castle. We can talk there," Sabo finally conceded as both remained silent, pointing in the direction he'd been walking prior to the interruption. "What's the problem?" he added quietly when they started walking again.

Once again, Law was the one who spoke as Finn continued to brood. "Let's just wait, alright? We might just be overreacting, or interpreting something wrong, or ..." The older teen sighed tiredly. "It's complicated, okay?"

"Okay," Sabo replied before falling silent for the rest of the trip. His thoughts, though, were anything but as he analysed every tiny movement the two made. Unfortunately, even his talent at reading people didn't do him much good when he had no clue what this was about.

However, two things became very clear: One, Finn was incredibly uncomfortable with whatever ability he'd received. In fact, it even looked as if he felt guilty, though for what still remained a mystery to Sabo. And two, it caused both teenagers to eye him strangely, almost like they were questioning his entire existence.

It was an extremely tense walk to his room, that much was certain. Sabo released a breath he hadn't realised he was holding when he finally closed the door behind them, the two teenager now standing awkwardly in front of the bed. "Talk," he said curtly as he sat down on one of the sofas, gesturing for them to follow his example.

"Finn can turn into a black poodle," Law said without any further preamble, earning himself an incredulous stare from Finn.

As the silence stretched on, Sabo couldn't help but mirror that expression. "That's all?" he asked sceptically, wondering why Law'd blown up a simple Zoan transformation out of all proportion. If Finn's look was anything to go by, though, there was more still to come.

"I thought that the news that one of your crew can turn into a cute, fluffy animal which looks about as threatening as a mouse would be quite sensational," Law drawled sarcastically, which successfully turned Finn's stare into a heated glare.

"That cute, fluffy animal was still enough to knock you to the ground, if I remember correctly," he countered in a poisonous tone, though Law simply smirked in response.

"So you do admit that you look as threatening as a mouse," he repeated again with a surprisingly teasing voice, easily dodging Finn's half-hearted punch. "Seriously, though, he's a black dog. Omen of death and all that but I don't think it quite works that way. You ever heard the myth?"

"Yeah, I have," Sabo replied, racking his brains for the details that meshed together in his head. Unfortunately, it was one of the legends with very few consistencies. "I can't remember anything special about the black dog except for the fact that he strikes fear in the hearts of men, which," he quickly disguised his chuckle as a cough, "Finn apparently doesn't."

"I hate you all," Finn grumbled darkly.

"He's the reason people've been fainting those past two weeks," Law cut in, the smiles on both their faces disappearing. "I've felt it myself, it's like ... I think if his eyes turn red, and he looks at someone, and that person looks back into his eyes, he drains their energy, and eventually, they faint," he elaborated.

Drain their energy? Sabo only barely suppressed a shudder at that thought. Did that mean that Finn could kill with one glance? Had they just been lucky that his new-found ability hadn't had any fatal repercussions yet?

"That's not all, though," Finn said quietly, his voice trembling as he continued. "When I look into their eyes, I ... I see things, experience things they have before. It's not just from a bystander's view, either – it's like I become them for a few moments." He fell silent, clenching his fists.

"From what he's told me, what he sees is pretty ... disturbing," Law took over, his eyes hovering over the other teenager before he focused on Sabo. There was something strange in his gaze. "I think that when people feel they're about to die, he sees their greatest regrets."

Law's eyes had turned so piercing it almost felt he was trying to look in Sabo's soul. The blonde captain froze under the scrutiny while he thought back to his own fainting fit. Ace and Luffy hadn't stopped pestering him to get more sleep for days after that.

Yet his sudden weakness hadn't been what had preoccupied him back then. No, it was the very vivid nightmare of reading about Ace's death, Luffy's disappearance, and remembering, having all those little holes he'd never even known existed finally filled with bits and pieces of his brothers that had completely derailed him. Even now, he shuddered at the memory.

But if that was Finn's doing – if he wasn't the only one to see the memories, but his victim as well – it certainly explained why the two were looking at him so strangely, provided he'd told Law. Which was very likely, given the way the young doctor seemed to try and dissect Sabo with his eyes only.

How should he handle this, though? For a split second, he wished Finn had looked into the eyes of one of his brothers instead, or preferably, none of them at all. How could he explain that they were from the future without sounding completely insane? "You want to ask something," Sabo said in a low voice. "Please, go ahead."

He was trying to draw out the inevitable, he knew that – but maybe it was simply him who'd come to the wrong conclusion?

The two teenagers looked at each other hesitantly for a second, the previously still light-hearted and teasing atmosphere quickly turning tense. Finally, Finn spoke up, "Usually, I ... I see parts of people's past, like Law said, people's regrets ... but with you and Ace," he paused slightly. When had Ace ever fainted? "You and Ace, you're both older than you are now."

Sabo briefly shut his eyes at the confirmation of his conclusion. What was he supposed to do now? Law and Finn were anything but stupid – if he tried to cover their past with a lie, it would have to be a good one. Could he come up with anything believable in such a limited time?

"At first, I thought I was looking into the future or something, but it just doesn't add up! It's not as obvious with Ace, but with you ... when I saw you, you were –" Finn's voice had grown progressively louder as he talked himself into a frenzy.

Before things could get out of hand, Sabo cut him off harshly, "I was looking at a newspaper that announced Ace's death on the battlefield, and I remembered." Both were staring at him wide-eyed in shock.

There was no going back now. Sabo sighed. It wouldn't have been a good idea to lie to their crew, their friends, anyways. It had only been a matter of time until someone figured out there was something weird about them, even if it had happened earlier than Sabo'd expected. "It's not only you who relives the memories. This has been keeping me up for days," he added a bit more quietly.

"But how? How is this possible?" Law burst out, looking at him in disbelief. "You're talking like –"

"I've lived this life before, yes," Sabo finished, holding up his hands in a placating motion when both Law and Finn looked ready to protest his statement again. "I know this is going to sound insane, but please, hear me out."

"The first time around," he continued once Finn and Law had quieted down enough, "Ace, Luffy and I didn't set out together. We could never agree on who'd be the captain, and ... when I was eleven, it literally became impossible for us to do so."

Looking down on his hands, Sabo said in a bitter voice, "You probably don't know that yet, Law, but I was born a noble. I couldn't take their ... lifestyle, though, so I ran away when I was five. But when I was eleven, originally, my father paid some thugs to take me back, threatened to kill Luffy and Ace, the scum who corrupted his precious son, if I didn't go with him."

"I felt like I was slowly dying every single second I spent back there," Sabo told his enraptured audience. "They stuffed me into stiff clothes, told me to study quietly, and to always be their perfect, polite little noble son, so I could one day marry into royalty," he almost spit out that last word.

"Anyways, I couldn't bear it. So, a couple of days later, when my parents weren't at home, I ran to the harbour, stole a boat, and raised my flag," Sabo finished, before sighing sadly. "The only problem was that a Celestial Dragon arrived that day. Naturally, he shot down the boat which had dared to cross his path," he drawled sarcastically, only barely keeping himself from ranting about the injustice in the world.

"I'd have died in the explosion, but Dragon saved me, and eventually, I joined the Revolutionary Army," Sabo continued more calmly. "Because what else was I supposed to do? I didn't remember anything about my childhood, except for the fact that I did not, under any circumstances, want to return to my home."

"I forgot Ace and Luffy, but they never forgot me," he said, familiar guilt rising in his chest. "They swore to live life without regrets because that's what I'd have wanted for them, and set sail at seventeen as we'd promised each other."

"Ace eventually joined the Whitebeard Pirates, and Luffy created his own crew. Not even a year after Luffy'd set sail, however, Ace was captured, and was to be publically executed for his heritage, which he'd kept a secret out of shame." No matter how annoying it was sometimes, it was relieving that Ace had finally left that part behind.

"Whitebeard wouldn't stand for it, and neither would Luffy, who'd already earned himself quite the reputation as an outrageous rookie," Sabo said with a tiny smile. "They managed to free Ace, but in the end, it was for nothing. One of the Admirals followed them relentlessly, determined to kill the sons of Roger and Dragon."

"Ace died protecting Luffy, and Luffy nearly died himself," Sabo almost whispered, his clenched fists shaking at the thought of Akainu. He looked at Law, any prior disbelief gone from his face, replaced by horror. "He would have, too, if it hadn't been for you, Law," he quietly added.

"Me?" he asked with a surprised voice.

"Yeah. You were a pirate captain yourself, a fellow rookie, the Surgeon of Death," he replied with a tiny smile. "Two years later, when Luffy entered the New World after some training, you two formed an alliance to take down Kaido, and in the process, Doflamingo."

"We took down Doflamingo?" Law whispered, obviously torn between disbelief and hopeful wonder. "Together? Is that why Luffy's so insistent on having me join the crew? Is he -?"

Before Law could fully unleash his barrage of questions, Sabo cut him off. "I can't, and won't speak for Luffy's motivations. You'll have to ask him yourself." Law looked unhappy, but didn't protest. "I don't know all that's happened between you, but your crews remained allied until the end, even after you'd long since defeated Kaido."

"The end ..." Finn repeated thoughtfully, looking at Sabo with worried blue eyes. "I guess this is were you tell us how you know about all this."

"Yeah." Sabo smiled. "As always, it's all Luffy. I was with him when he finally fulfilled his dream. When he finally reached Raftel," he said, voice full of pride and wonder. "Raftel is ... a strange island. You'll understand what I mean once you've seen more of the New World. I still can't recall what it looks like even though I was there myself."

Twin frowns of confusion appeared on their faces. Sabo absent-mindedly registered that almost funny synchronisation. They might work well together. "But anyways, Luffy'd become the new Pirate King, and he was given one wish, within limitations, of course."

"I can't tell you what went on in his mind that day," Sabo continued, the details shadier the more he thought about it, "but with his life-long dream fulfilled, there was really only one thing he wanted – and that was Ace."

"And well, since reviving dead people is for some reason more impossible than time travel, here we are," he finished at last, leaning back against the couch.

"So, essentially you're saying that it's a mystery and you don't actually have a clue how it happened," Law drawled sarcastically after a short silence. Sabo blinked. Now that he thought about it ...

"You know, you might be onto something," he laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "With Luffy, you just learn to accept these things without questioning them after a while. And well, both the title of the Pirate King and the last island are so shrouded in mystery literally anything could happen there," he added sheepishly.

"Well, you're right, this is crazy," Finn conceded, looking completely out of his depth. "But it does sort of make sense. What with the stuff I've seen ..." he trailed off, deep in thought.

With a tiny bit of worry, Sabo scrutinized the older teenager. He just couldn't catch a break, could he? First he had bad lucks in his fights, and now such a difficult Devil Fruit ... they had their work cut out for them during the coming month, that much was sure.

For now, though, a little pep-talk was very much needed. "Ne, Finn, stop looking so grim! Now that you actually know what you can do, we'll teach you how to use it in next to no time." He awkwardly rubbed his hands together. "Ah, it goes without saying that you can't tell anyone about this, right?"

Twin nods of confirmation at his question, without a single but in protest. Right. This was really getting creepy.

xXx

Picking at her food, Ivy looked around the dining room, scanning it for someone, something to distract her – or more specifically, she was looking for Finn.

The teen had been acting weird all day, but she didn't get the opportunity to confront him about it since he almost constantly seemed to be in deep conversation with Law, his new peer on board.

Ivy wasn't jealous of Finn finding a new friend, of course, even if that was the case, which she wasn't one hundred percent sure of. After all, Finn and Law had hardly spent any time together before this day, so it was a rather recent development. Still, she was happy that he finally had someone his age he at least got along with.

However, right now, she couldn't help but wish he'd remember her, come to talk to her so she didn't have time to think. But apparently, everyone she might want to have a conversation with was otherwise busy.

She knew the slight feelings of resentment in her chest were completely unjustified. It wasn't Francis' fault that Beckett still kept him confined to the infirmary, nor was it Goode's that he was the head cook and as such always needed during meal times. Finn, however – Finn, she could blame.

As she frustratedly stabbed her broccoli, she pondered with a frown what he could possibly be doing right now. Meal times were the times family got together, weren't they? And considering they'd been travelling as a crew together for such a long time, that term was definitely justified.

Once again, the door to the dining room opened, and as always, Ivy's eyes immediately flitted over. Unfortunately, it wasn't Finn but his new companion, Law, who looked around the room searchingly before heading determinedly towards Luffy.

The youngest captain hadn't looked up, hadn't even stopped eating, but when Law was only a few steps away from him, he cheerfully shouted, "Hey, Torao! There you are! I've been –"

"We need to talk," Law cut him off abruptly, grabbing him around the scruff of his neck and carried him out of the room, ignoring Luffy's vocal protests.

"But I haven't finished eating yet! And you haven't had any lunch either!" A rubbery limb stretched to a nearby table, stealing a piece of meat from a very unhappy pirate's plate.

"Food can wait. I won't," Law replied indifferently before the two finally left the room, the gazes of many pirates lingering on the door.

Sighing, Ivy looked back down on her plate, listlessly pushing a piece of chicken around without any intention to actually eat it. So now even the rude teenager had made an appearance, while Finn was still conspicuous by his absence.

Putting down her fork, she finally gave up on her lunch and stood up from the table, following the two out of the room. Leisurely, she walked through the hallways, trying to enjoy the feeling of actually being on solid ground and in a proper building for once. No matter how much she loved being on the sea, it was reassuring when the ground stopped moving for a while.

Her momentary peace didn't last long, however, as she saw her sister, the focus of many of her recent thoughts coming down the hallway with Beckett, clearly only heading to lunch now. Her slow steps faltered and came to a stop whereas Zandra completely ignored her very presence.

"Father wouldn't have wanted this," Ivy heard more than felt herself saying, immediately freezing Zandra on her spot just as she was passing by. Beckett, as well, stopped a few steps away from the pair, throwing her younger sister a calculating, yet questioning look.

Zandra's gaze, on the other hand, was so cold it could have frozen Ace's fire. "Don't talk to me about father," she hissed poisonously, before she whirled around her again, her long hair fanning out across her back from the movement.

Now that she'd already ventured into the lion's den, Ivy wasn't so willing to give up quickly. Just as Zandra took the first step away from her, she followed, grabbing her sister's wrist in the process. "Please. I can't take this anymore. Us ... being like this," she said pleadingly, deliberately not shrinking away from her glare.

For a moment, the world seemed to stand still, until Zandra finally stopped straining against her grip, relaxing her posture ever so slightly. Looking back ahead, she said in her usual, indifferent voice, "Go ahead, Beckett. I'll catch up to you in a minute."

The doctor nodded and continued on his way, while Ivy was screaming on the inside that this would take longer than that time. It had to. She didn't want Zandra to leave this quickly, to increase the gap between the two sisters even more.

"So. What do you want?" Zandra asked coldly, but just as Ivy opened her mouth to respond, she cut her off, "No, wait. You're not going to apologise, are you? Because that's not going to cut it. That was never going to cut it. After what you did ..."

"Zandra, I –" Ivy started, but her sister didn't even let her finish one sentence.

"No! Don't you dare say anything about it! I don't even want to hear your voice! I can't stand it!" Her brief composure was completely shattered as she shouted at Ivy, her face a mask of hatred far more intense than Ivy'd expected. "You knew you were his only hope, but you spit in his face despite all he did for you, all he tolerated from you over the years. You just left."

"So did you," Ivy couldn't help but snap, sick of that accusation despite it being the truth.

"Please," Zandra huffed, dismissing her words just as she knew she would. "I was only ever second-best. There was nothing I could have ever done to fill the hole sweet, perfect Ivy left," she added with a bitterness Ivy'd never seen on her before.

"That's not true," Ivy argued quietly, but she remembered the look in her father's eyes whenever he'd looked at her. Parents weren't supposed to have favourites, but it was only human.

Maybe something'd shown in her eyes, as Zandra scowled at her words. "You know it is," she hissed, before forcefully tearing her wrist from her sister's grasp. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I prefer to spend my time in the company of people I don't constantly want to punch in the face."

Blinking away the tears in her eyes, Ivy clenched her now free hand to a fist, looking after her sister as she quickly disappeared down the hallway. Even after Ivy lost sight of her, she stayed rooted to her spot for a seemingly very long time.

Why had she even tried to talk to Zandra? It hadn't worked the first couple of times immediately after the incident nearly four years ago, and it hadn't worked after she'd given her sister some months to cool off. Apparently, her resentment had only grown as time passed instead of slowly dissipating.

Still, it hurt. Of course, she'd known how Zandra felt about her, it had been more than obvious in how she treated her every day, but to have all those words hurled at her, to see so much anger and hurt on her little sister's face, directed at her ... Abruptly, Ivy turned around.

But her planned quick escape was suddenly halted by warm body popping up in her way. Fortunately, Azure had paid more attention to his surroundings than she had, preventing both his fall and hers.

"I ... erm ..." Ivy started to stutter, blushing furiously as he looked at her with expressionless eyes, so different and yet so similar to her sister's. "I ... sorry," she finally brought out, brushing past him as soon as he let go off her arms.

Now, her steps were even faster than they would have been anyways, Azure's gaze burning into her back. Her chest constricted even further, her breathing grew ever heavier as the walls and corridors meshed into each other until finally, finally she was outside.

It was a small, beautiful yard she'd stumbled into, strangely out of place on the otherwise neglected island. Even the castle which had housed the rulers of No Man's Land resembled a colourful, disjointed puzzle, each temporary leader adding his own part, more than it did an elegant estate.

So to see such a place of seemingly perfect harmony amongst all the chaos of the rest of the place ... Ivy promptly pulled out her gun, firing several quick shots at a knothole in one of the trees the farthest away from her. Soon, it turned into some sort of game as Ivy started to move around through the garden, choosing her targets at random to vent her frustrations.

By the time she ran out of bullets, she was breathing heavily, and the once so beautiful paradise was now slightly less so. Yet nature was persistent, Ivy knew – whatever damage she'd done today, it would always repair itself over time.

Exhausted, Ivy leaned against the trunk of the only tree she hadn't attacked, closing her eyes tiredly. Why did he do it? Why did he have to ... Bile rose at the back of her throat even at the mere thought. Why did he have to kill himself? He could have sold his belongings, covered his debts, and started over somewhere else ... but as always, even as she considered those possibilities, she knew why her father had chosen the easy way out.

A small weight on her lap caused Ivy to open her eyes again and look down. "So you're back again, huh," she whispered to the now significantly larger orange cat, but she knew it was the same one she'd saved back on deck a while ago.

Absent-mindedly, Ivy started petting its fluffy fur, which was enough reason for the cat to start purring loudly. A tiny but bitter smile appeared on her face. If only humans were as easily pleased as animals.

"Muffin's really sweet, isn't she? She was the first one to join the new crew, you know?" Ivy looked up to see the blonde cook from Azure's crew sit down cross-legged next to her with a grace she could only admire.

As the woman tucked a blonde curl behind her ear and sent the orange cat a loving look with her light blue eyes, Ivy couldn't help but think that she'd never met a woman quite like her before. It was as if she was looking at the embodiment of womanly perfection.

Well, at least where looks were concerned. Any noble woman, even any commoner would have cringed at the pirate-y attire, all loose pants, heavy boots and formfitting jacket. If only she'd worn a bandana, the image would have been complete.

"Ivy?" Now, the blue eyes were looking at her, concern written all over Amaryllis' face. "Are you okay?"

At first, Ivy just blinked in surprise. She couldn't ever remember having had a conversation with the blonde, and yet she was treating her with incredible familiarity. While others might have been put at ease, she worried her lower lip uncomfortably. "I'm fine."

Which was, of course, a lie. But there was no need for Amaryllis to know about that. It was none of her business what was going on in Ivy's head, and frankly, even if her concern probably sprung from good intentions, Ivy was in no mood to talk about her feelings with a virtual stranger.

"Are you sure?" Ivy narrowed her eyes in warning, but didn't answer. Apparently, Amaryllis didn't get the message. "It's just that Azure overheard your argument with your sister, and he said it sounded pretty bad. He asked me to look for you."

Annoyed, Ivy pressed her lips together and focused on that emotion instead of letting herself be overwhelmed by her grief at her sister's mention. "I said I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."

"Okay," Amaryllis replied quietly, grasping Ivy's trembling hand. Surprised, the sniper looked down at the traitorous limb, her view slightly blurred. "It's okay." Amaryllis' voice was soft, yet strong, but nevertheless, Ivy didn't believe her words.

It would never be okay. Nothing short of time travel could fix that particular mistake of hers, and even then, she wasn't sure she even wanted to. It was her life – she had to do what she wanted, what was right for her, not what other people asked of her.

That one crucial decision would weigh on her soul for the rest of her life. But at least she lived to regret it. If she had given in – if she'd actually married Spencer – it would have been the same as killing herself. After all, she'd sworn that she'd never let society mould her into something that wasn't her.

And if there was one vow she intended to keep, it was certainly that one.

xXx

"And you were all 'Room' and 'Shambles' and I was like 'Red Hawk!'" He could practically hear Luffy moving around, imitating the moves he'd just described. "You should have seen the look on his face! It was so funny!" The straw-hatted captain's signature laughter vibrated through the air.

"And that's how we defeated him? I mean, I know you can pack a punch, but ..." Ace froze up the second he heard his least favourite person's voice, debating whether maybe he shouldn't join his little brother as he'd planned, after all. It was difficult enough to make sense of his tales without his attention being divided by a potential traitor's presence.

"Oh! No! Of course not! Mingo's a lot tougher than that!" Wait ... what? "Both of us nearly died before I managed to defeat him! Shishishishishi!"

"But you just said that that was our ultimate stratagem! How could you use it this early, you idiot?!" As Trafalgar Law continued ranting, his words seemed to flow into each other, turning into a mildly irritating, but otherwise hardly distracting background noise.

Ace's thoughts, on the other hand, were anything but quiet. The gears in his head were twisting and turning at a high speed, but far more problematic was the indecipherable mess that sprung from his slight confusion and mostly disbelief.

Luffy'd told Law. It was the only way the teenager could have found out about Luffy's past, which, judging from the snippets of the conversation he'd just overheard, he definitely knew about.

How could he do this? They'd sworn they'd never tell anybody about their past, about the invaluable information they possessed about various key characters in the battle for the One Piece. Yet Luffy'd gone ahead and told Law of all people.

Why was he even surprised? Luffy did what he wanted, always had. And it had been very obvious, from the first second he'd heard Trafalgar Law was close-by, that he wouldn't forget the relationship he'd shared with the pirate in his previous life. That he'd do his utmost to get him to join their crew.

If that was all, Ace wouldn't have had any problems, since he couldn't possibly deny missing his old friends himself. If they weren't already part of a different crew, he'd have tried to recruit them himself.

Yet telling them about his past? It was a tempting thought, for sure, especially considering that he'd undoubtedly slip up at some point and reveal some knowledge he wasn't supposed to have. Yet he'd never ever do so without consulting his brothers first.

Furiously, Ace clenched his jaw and turned on his heels. Oh, how he would have loved to have a go at Luffy right now, or even better, that miserable little piece of shit who had so easily led his little brother astray.

But ... that would look bad. And cause a rather significant amount of property damage. Not to mention that he'd actually have to explain his actions at some point, and he really wasn't in any mood to defend himself for a reaction that was absolutely natural.

His nails buried into his palms while his shirt inadvertently burnt to ashes. Well. He was accustomed to going without a shirt, anyways, so it wasn't like the lack of it bothered him. The strange looks he received for the action didn't exactly serve to soothe his already frayed nerves, though.

He should definitely raze something to the ground. Watching anything crumble under the flames of his fury was always strangely therapeutic, and it did have the added benefit of burning at least some of his overflowing energy. If that something happened to be a certain spotted hat, or even better, ...

"Ouch! Hot!" Ace glared in the direction of the offending voice, completely unbothered by the fact that Finn was shaking his clearly burnt hand in pain. "Cool down a little, would you? I've been trying to get your attention for ages!"

"Don't tell me what to do," Ace hissed, earning himself a startled and slightly intimidated look in return. Good. It was about time he showed everyone that he couldn't just be ordered around. That he could just do what he wanted, too.

"Geez, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed, huh?" At the slightly forced, but casual tone, Ace's scowl deepened, even though he could still see traces of wariness in Finn's body language. This had nothing to do with beds. It was all certain people's fault. "Sabo wanted to talk to you."

Somehow, this pissed him off even further. "If Sabo wants to talk to me, he can come and talk. I'm not some dog who'll come when he calls," Ace growled, before stomping away from Finn. Seriously, what was with his brothers?

They were equals, weren't they? That's what they'd agreed on when they'd set sail, in any case. But somehow, Ace got the impression that it was always Sabo making the decisions, unless Luffy chose to make use of his ability to create chaos.

Well, so far, Ace had never had any reason to argue with the decisions either of them made, with the exception of their first recruitment which had been quickly resolved. Now, though, it looked like his brothers were acting on their own again, without any regards to how Ace might feel or think about it.

"Listen, I don't know what's up with you but we really need to talk, too." Startled, Ace's eyes wandered from Finn's now even further burned hand on his shoulder to the teenager himself. When had the other become so determined, almost sure of himself?

Automatically, Ace forced down the flames which had heated his skin to an unbearable degree for anyone but him. Finn hadn't done anything to deserve his wrath, after all. No matter how tempting it was, it wouldn't do to vent his fury at an innocent bystander any more than he already had. "What do you need?" he finally grumbled, scowl still etched deeply into his face.

"Well, Sa-" Finn cut himself off mid-sentence, coughing awkwardly. "Um, well, it was recommended to me that I talk to you. Because, um, I've kind of figured out what my Devil Fruit is, and you knew someone who ate a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit once, right, so you might be able to give me some pointers?"

For a few long moments, Ace just stared at him, torn between his still very present fury and another wave of disbelief. How many people had Luffy told? Seriously? This did qualify as a monumental decision that affected them all, didn't it? Why hadn't he asked Ace first?

But maybe, he was just overreacting. Maybe he hadn't told Finn anything specific, just that he'd known a Mythical Zoan once. It was possible, right? If that was the case ... "I'm not sure what you're talking about," Ace said, his voice a bit calmer, more even than it had been mere moments ago.

"Right, um ..." And there was the Finn he was used to, stuttering and uncertain. "This was actually what Sabo wanted to talk to you about, but I guess I can do it just as well," he muttered under his breath, almost too quiet for Ace to catch.

Before Ace could feel his anger at his brother's name rise again, Finn continued. "My Devil Fruit. I'm a Mythical Zoan, a black dog, which sounds kinda lame but that's what Law called it." He completely ignored Ace's growl at the name. "One of my abilities is to, like, live other people's memories. I can't ... I can't control it at all."

The burning fury in Ace's chest calmed to a mere simmer as the implications of Finn's words sunk in. If he'd seen one of their memories, their past experiences, then it might make sense that Sabo or Luffy had told him the truth.

"I talked with Sabo about it, and he told me about your ... time-travel stuff. Not that he made much sense," Finn added in a bemused tone. "He also said that Whitebeard's first commander's a phoenix, and that I should ask you if you had any tips."

So the cat was really out of the bag. Ace wordlessly stared at Finn's expectant face. Somehow, it had never really occurred to him that this might happen. Truth be told, occasionally, he even forgot about it himself – after more than four years in this life, the present gained importance with every passing day while the past continued to fade.

Sometimes, there was a hollow ache in his chest when he stood on the Tigris and watched all those pirates, his crew, bustle around him, drinking, fighting, feasting. But those moments were few and far in between – even if he'd loved being on Whitebeard's crew, it wouldn't be the first time he'd moved on.

Hell, if he'd managed to say good-bye to Luffy, his little brother, his constant companion, at seventeen, he could spend time apart from his adopted family as well. They'd always have a special spot in his heart and he could hardly wait to see them again, but now ... Now he had a new crew to care for.

"So, do you?" Finn's expression had turned vaguely worried as Ace had stayed silent. A Mythical Zoan, huh? That would certainly turn out to be very interesting. Those fruits were even more rare than Logias and, depending on who you asked, considered more powerful as well. Now they actually had one on their own crew.

"Can I give you any tips?" Ace mumbled thoughtfully, tilting his head. "You do realize that by the time I met him, Marco'd mastered his fruit for years," he finally said, wistfully reminiscing about the seemingly undefeatable and unflappable first commander. "He could just do everything already."

Finn visibly deflated. "Well, I guess it was a long shot, anyways. It's not like birds and dogs have very much in common," he muttered, disappointment lacing his voice.

"I did talk to him about his Devil Fruit occasionally, though," Ace added quickly before Finn could fall back into the hole of self-doubt and depression he seemed to have occupied far too often over the last month. "You'll still have to figure out the peculiarities of your fruit, but ..."

He paused, trying to get his thoughts into order as he recalled conversations long past. "Marco said that, especially in the beginning, Mythical Zoans are the most difficult to figure out. He thought that it was because unlike with other Devil Fruits, you get an onslaught of different abilities which often don't fit together at all."

"Like him, he could turn into a bird, his senses were sharpened and his body grew stronger, as with all Zoans, but he also obtained a limited control over fire, and he could heal his wounds. While the last one worked reflexively, the others had him really confused for quite a while."

"It took him ages to wilfully transform for the first time. Before that, he'd read dozens of books about the anatomy of birds." Finn's eyes grew almost comically wide with dread. Ace snickered. "He said that that didn't do him much good, though. In the end, it all comes down to instincts."

"Instincts?" the teenager asked curiously. "What do you mean? It's not like humans have an inbuilt instinct to turn into a dog," he continued, crossing his arms.

"No, we don't," Ace answered, poking Finn in the chest. Teaching was surprisingly enjoyable. "But you do now. The Devil Fruit changed your body, remember? So like I instinctively know how to turn into and control fire, you know how to turn into a dog. You just don't know how to activate it yet."

"How's that supposed to help me now, though?" Finn asked. "It's all nice and good that I apparently have that instinct now, but how can I figure out how to use it?"

Ace shrugged. "Experimentation. Meditation. Near-death experiences. Whatever floats your boat," he replied with a smirk. "Marco jumped off a cliff to see if his body'd sprout wings. Allegedly, that worked."

Finn stared at him incredulously. "You want me to jump off a cliff? That's insane! I don't have a death wish!"

"Neither did Marco," Ace laughed in return. "He knew he'd just heal if he didn't turn into a bird. Pretty handy, that ability." In fact, it was that little perk of Marco's that easily gave him the upper hand against all opponents who didn't have seastone cuffs close-by.

"And it wouldn't do you any good to do that, anyways. You're not a bird, so it's not like you should be trying to fly away," he added, grinning at Finn's dramatic sigh of relief.

"What can I do, then?" Finn asked in a frustrated manner. Ah, to be seventeen and impatient again ... Very soon, this young grasshopper would realise that he really had to work and think hard to get anywhere in this world.

"I don't know. Be creative," Ace replied, shaking his head in despair as he realised that he'd just felt old in comparison to Finn. Shame on him. "You could face down a pack of hungry wolves and hope that your alpha male instincts deign to show themselves."

"Yeah. Definitely not going to do that," Finn deadpanned. "But thanks, anyways. I think I have some clues where I could start now."

Before Finn could turn around and walk away, though, Ace grasped his forearm. "Wait. Who else knows about this now?" It made sense that Finn had found out about their past. But considering the conversation Ace had overheard earlier, Law knew as well, and there was no real reason for him to know. Especially since he hadn't even joined their crew yet. Who knew if he could be trusted?

"Oh. Just Law and me," Finn replied, smiling sheepishly. "He helped me figure out my Devil Fruit, so he was just ... kind of there, you know?" He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, his expression turning strangely apologetic.

"Ah. I see," Ace said flatly in response, crossing his arms as the frown on his face unwittingly returned. So he'd really blamed Luffy unjustly. His little brother had probably found out about this only moments before he had.

A little bit of guilt rose in his chest, but even though he wasn't proud of it, he tried his best to squash it. Nobody had to find out about the feelings of betrayal he'd suffered from for absolutely no reason, right? His emotions at this moment, with his context had been completely justified.

It was only right for him to be wary of the influence Trafalgar Law had over Luffy. He knew, of course, that Luffy was anything but easily controlled, but the dark teenager was shrewd. If anybody could figure out a way to make Luffy bow to their decisions, it was Law.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is your problem with Law?" Ace glared at Finn, slightly startled at the question itself, but mostly pissed at the thought of the surgeon. At his dark reaction, Finn immediately lifted his hands in a placating manner. "I-it's not like you have to like him, of course! It's just that ... you're not usually this hostile."

Ace pressed his lips into a thin line before he opened his mouth to answer, "I just don't trust him. I know the kind of person he is. He'd do anything to accomplish his goals, no matter how underhanded or despicable his methods. That's not the kind of person I want on our crew."

Icy-blue eyes stared at him pensively. "How do you know that?"

"What?" Ace snapped in return, confused by the question. Did Finn seriously ask why he didn't want that sort of person on board of his ship?

"How do you know he's anything like that?" ... Right. That did make more sense. "I can't claim that I know Law well, but I don't think you do, either. He's kept his distance from just about everybody since he came onto our ship. So how do you know what he's like?"

Worrying his lower lip, Ace dropped his gaze. Alright, so maybe he didn't actually know Law. Yet so far, his instincts had always been right, and they were screaming at him not to let him get too close. What else could he rely on if he couldn't even trust himself?

"Ace." Finn's voice was surprisingly firm, his gaze hard when the Pirate Prince looked back up. "I realize I'm probably overstepping my boundaries here, but ... please, give Law a chance. He's had a pretty difficult life up until now. I think ... I think he'd do really well here if we accepted him. He needs people he can rely on."

His throat was dry as Ace barely suppressed a pout. "Fine. I'll think about it."

xXx

"You're a blessing, Goode," Francis said quietly as he took a swig of the bottle his friend had pressed into his hand. "Truly, you are."

Goode broke out into boisterous laughter in return, his face red from the sake he'd probably already consumed before liberating Francis. Not that the first mate could blame him – anyone who went against Beckett was either suicidal or very, very brave. Or, as in this case, completely drunk.

Maybe he should try and earn himself such a reputation of his own. It was rather outrageous that the doctor even thought he had the right to keep Francis from taking part in this feast, wasn't it? What good did the position of the first mate do if he couldn't even lord his authority over his subordinates?

Of course, Beckett was only worried about his health. That Francis could understand the still very painful causes for his concerns was the only reason he hadn't protested more vocally when the doctor had still ordered him more bedrest when they'd returned to No Man's Land.

Yet it would have been a tragedy if he'd missed out on this party. It seemed the island had gone all out to welcome its rightful rulers, even if it had been only a little over a month since they'd last been here. Added to that, they were celebrating their two new members. Needless to say, the atmosphere was very exuberant.

It was precisely what he needed after two weeks of practically solitary confinement. Not to mention how calming it was to see his crew right there in front of him, safe and happy, no danger whatsoever in sight. After seeing Ace being dragged away from him, unconscious, unable to defend himself, and being unable to help him, to save him, this picture was practically seeing his wish fulfilled.

"It was a good decision to join them, wasn't it?" he abruptly asked, overwhelmed by his sudden sense of accomplishment and inward peace. "I wasn't sure at first, but ... they seem to have won everyone here over. And I ..." And he would die for them.

An eerie chill ran up and down his spine at the frightening realisation, and yet he wasn't uncomfortable with it. His life was truly in their hands. He knew that if there was anything he could do to protect them, to support them, he'd do it without hesitation.

"Yeah, the best!" Goode slurred as he threw an arm around Francis, causing the first mate to flinch as a few of his injuries complained. "Best decision of my life, short of running away with you!" he proclaimed loudly.

Francis rolled his eyes in response and took another sip of sake. It seemed he still had quite a bit of drinking to do to catch up to Goode. "You make it sound like we eloped, dumbass," he drawled, but didn't push his friend away. That would have been even more painful, anyways.

"We didn't?!" Goode gasped, grasping his heart as if he'd been shot. "But I thought we were celebrating our seventh anniversary today!" At Francis' dry look, he started to cry dramatically, "My entire life is a lie!"

"There, there," Francis said without any sympathy as he patted his best friend's shoulder. "You'll find the love of your life soon enough, I'm sure." In fact, a possible candidate was already on the ship, in Francis' opinion.

A sly smirk spread across his face. "You should go find Ivy, Goode," he added, his pats growing a bit more forceful. "She's a lot better at comforting people than I am."

Faster than he could blink, Goode jumped to his feet, pouting down at Francis. "You cruel, cruel friend," he whined, crossing his arms. "First, you break my heart, and now you won't even take responsibility. I expected so much more from you."

"Yeah, yeah, just go," Francis muttered, waving him away. After a few more complaints, Goode finally left, fortunately without claiming the sake he'd previously gifted him. Knowing Goode, he could have easily been sadistic enough to confiscate it, now that they'd 'broken up'.

Nursing his bottle, Francis let his eyes roam over the gathering in front of him, before zeroing in on the problem child of the remnants of his own crew. Surprisingly, Finn sat there, talking with a few members of the second unit, interestingly enough surrounded by dogs. He couldn't wait to hear the story behind that.

It was nice to see him so comfortable, though, especially with the people they'd intended to assign as his subordinates. Maybe the dream of making him second commander wasn't as far away as it had been before Francis' extended stay in the medical bay.

Seeing as he was already at it, Francis let his eyes roam further over the gathering, searching out the long since familiar faces of the people who'd been with them from the start. There was Dante, as always surrounded by his notes, but for once in a heated argument with a fellow navigator from the first unit – and there were Zandra and Beckett, mostly sitting in companionable silence, but every once in a while, they quietly exchanged a few words.

Goode had by now disappeared from his sight, presumably off to find Ivy who Francis couldn't spot anywhere in his vicinity. Silently, he wished his friend the best of luck – but unfortunately, he knew it was unlikely anything was about to happen.

By now, Francis had suspected that something was going on between them for years, but it seemed both of them were continuously oblivious to the other's feelings. Heck, he wasn't even sure they were aware of them themselves, so how was something ever supposed to happen?

The first mate took another swig of his bottle. Right. Alcohol, lots and lots of alcohol. If there was anything that could bring Ivy out of her shell, anything that could evoke genuine feelings within Goode, it was that glorious liquid.

"Shouldn't you still be in the infirmary?" Francis promptly chucked his empty bottle at the insolent teenager who'd showed up in front of him. Seriously, a few hours on the crew, and he already thought he could be a smart-ass. "I'll take that as a yes," Law drawled as he leaned against the railing next to where Francis sat, pressing a full bottle into his hand.

Was everyone trying to get him drunk today? "Shouldn't you be down there at your party?" he growled, hiding his surprise at the teenager seeking him out. It wasn't like they'd exactly been in contact before, except for occasional long-suffering glances exchanged during Law's much shorter stay in the infirmary.

Law made a non-committal sound in response as he looked down at the campfire in the harbour. "Give it five minutes an Luffy takes the party up here. He's been practically attached to my hip ever since I agreed to join the crew," he said casually, but Francis could easily spot the barely hidden excitement in his voice. "Make that ten. The kitchen's just brought a bunch of meat."

Francis eyed the teenager with equal amounts of curiosity and wariness. It was true that he and Luffy had hit it off even before they'd even met – Luffy'd been obsessed with finding Law from the second the white bear had mentioned his name. While the youngest captain had always made friends easily, the extent of the attachment to Law he already showed was ... concerning.

"You two seem pretty close," he finally decided on saying, watching Law for any kind of reaction. It was, after all, possible that Francis had simply missed some crucial event due to his confinement to the infirmary.

A strange expression appeared on Law's face, but it was softer, much less dark than anything he'd seen on the teen's face so far. "Yeah," he whispered, his voice fond. "We ... we share a history that I wasn't aware of before today. It's kind of personal," he added after a slight pause, a rare smile playing across his lips.

If anything, those words increased Francis' curiosity tenfold. But it was obvious that Law didn't intend to elaborate on his statement, so he supposed he'd simply have to exercise patience. After all, on a ship, no secret stayed a secret for very long.

A chorus of astounded and slightly frightened shouts drew Francis' attention back to the scene in the harbour. "Well, I'll be," Law said drily, looking impressed. "He's already figured it out. And he actually looks intimidating now."

Following the teenager's line of sight, Francis didn't have to search long. Amongst the pack of dogs which had previously surrounded Finn, there was a large black hound, looking almost more like a wolf than it did like their domesticated relatives. Even from up there, he could see its glowing red eyes through the fog that had risen from the ground.

"What the hell is this?" he murmured, getting to his feet as quickly as he could as he saw some people near the dog fainting. What was going on here? The dog let out a whine as the pirates fainted around him.

While Francis grew increasingly disturbed and worried, Law only hummed in interest. "Probably depends on the time. The black dog's only supposed to be seen at the dead of the night," he murmured, drawing his hand into a strange motion. "Room."

A strange, translucent blue sphere enveloped both their ship and the harbour. The dog's whimpering was almost immediately cut off after the teenager had performed a few senseless slices with his gigantic sword that had somehow escaped Francis notice so far, instead barking in a disturbed manner.

"Fascinating," Law said a bit louder this time, looking at his hands. "It seems like he can't turn it off right now."

By now, Francis was sufficiently confused as hell. "What are you talking about?" he growled, annoyed by the cryptic manner the teenager displayed.

Only a second later, he wished he'd never asked. "Look," Law replied, turning around to show off the fricking pair of red eyes he had in his hands. "Aren't you growing tired already?"

He was, indeed, but the shock of seeing the teenager hold somebody's eyeballs as if it was the most normal thing in the world effectively kept him awake. Even so, as he sat there, staring at Law in disbelief, he could feel his eyelids grow heavy, and very briefly, his vision blackened.

Then, just as the irises turned into a bright blue colour, the strange sensation lessened. It didn't quite disappear – his heart was still beating far too fast and his limbs felt like lead – but at least, he wasn't seconds away from fainting anymore. Slowly, Francis was starting to suspect that Goode had put something into his drink. Even after sailing with the Devilspawn pirates for months, this was to surreal to actually be happening.

"Law! What the hell did you do?!" Finn's voice was a mix of outrage and confusion. "Why can't I move my ... Wait, where the fuck are my eyes?" The last part of the question grew increasingly quiet as Finn was very obviously freaking out.

The creepy teenager threw an almost bored look over his shoulder before turning around, eyes – Finn's eyes, Francis realised – still in his hands as he turned them to face down into the harbour. Maybe the alcohol didn't mix too well with his medicine?

"Seriously, how am I looking at myself? This is giving me a headache," Finn moaned after a brief pause during which he'd likely tried to figure out what was happening in this bay. Hopefully, he was more successful than the first mate.

"Law, give Finn back his eyes," Sabo said absent-mindedly as he barely looked up from the eating contest the three brothers had started. "Everyone's going to think you're a psychopath," he added, his full mouth making his speech almost indecipherable, good manners forgotten for the day.

Probably too late for that, Francis couldn't help but think. But what was a bit more insanity in the grand scheme of things? "I'm not a psychopath, I'm a surgeon," Law emphasized, looking very much insulted by Sabo's words. Still, he repeated the strange movements with his hands, the eyes disappearing into thin air.

Francis blinked at the sudden end of this surreal episode, then eyed his bottle sceptically. Maybe it was time for bed.

xXx

 _A/N: Alright, this has been the most time I've ever taken to update this story, and I'm seriously very sorry. Unfortunately, I can't promise that it won't happen again, since, well, that's life. Always giving you a bunch of tests to write, and sucking at your motivation._

 _Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter! It's probably very obvious, but I took my inspiration for Finn's Devil Fruit from Harry Potter. I'm just not calling him a Grim because apparently, the official legend's literally about a 'black dog'. Aside from my Original Characters, this feels like the first big invention I brought to my story, so please, tell me what you thought!_

 _Also, thanks for the tons of reviews, favorites and followers! With so many people interested in this story, I really can't stop writing. Even when I'm stressed. So keep up the good work!_

 _Since we're already on the topic, to reply to some stuff that came up:_

 _1) Sabo's not going to get a Devil Fruit. The decision was already almost made the last time I asked you what you thought about it, but since the majority seems to be against it, I'm sure of it now._

 _2) Why was Bluejam still alive? Well ... kinda because I forgot he died in the fire. Oops. If it bothers you, just imagine it's some nameless thug._

 _3) Yes, Law did keep his Devil Fruit a secret on purpose, since he's understandably paranoid about it. However, that has obviously changed this chapter._

 _4) Sengoku doesn't know Law's joined their crew now - I mean, how? He had no clue that he'd been captured, and I also don't think that he's really keeping an eye out for him. Then again, I can't remember the extent of their relationship, really, so feel free to correct me._

 _5) What is Shanks doing? ... That's gonna stay a secret for now. Hopefully, it will be as awesome as I imagine._

 _6) I'll try to make Luffy more happy. It's just, when I write introspective chapters, it always revolves around people's doubts, and how they handle it. But with Law and Bepo now on the crew, he's probably going to be able to handle the loss of his nakama better._

 _7) Dragon's character - I'll admit that I was a bit wary writing about him at all, but there was simply to much potential there to leave him out of the story. The problem is, we've hardly seen more than a few shots of him saying cryptic statements, and generally seeming mysterious and stoic, but that's simply not how I wanted to portray him. I mean, he's related to Luffy and Garp - I just can't imagine he acts like that all the time. Also, would he really just give away his child and not have any doubts? At all?_

 _Still, please tell me what you think about him. It might be too late to change it for this story but I'm still curious._

 _Next chapter: Back to G-9! Some familiar faces, and Azure's past! I'll try to type more quickly this time._


	9. Messing with Marines - Round Two

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise._

 _xXx_

 _So ... *coughs awkwardly* I'm back? As requested, a short description of my OCs (since there's quite a few by now), and a summary of what's happened up until now. Chapter 8 is obviously the most detailed._

 _xXx_

Names without a description have been mentioned in the story because I don't like to use nameless grunts. In my opinion, it would be rather unrealistic for commanders not to know the names of their subordinates. As such, that list may grow as the story goes on, but these characters probably won't rise to any particular significance. (Unless one of their designs turn out to be particularly well received.)

 **Original crew:**

 **Francis:**

First mate of the Devilspawn pirates, formerly a captain in his own right. Fights using knives, usually partners with his best friend Goode. Orange hair, golden eyes, fairly tall (Think Bill of the Silver Pirate Alliance just with short, lighter hair – I watched this arc only after I'd already designed Francis, and that was pretty much how I'd pictured him).

Confident leader with a good sense for humour, also a very pragmatic thinker. Has recently rediscovered his passion for art.

 **Finn:**

The youngest of the original crew, joined Francis' crew barely three months earlier. Rather insecure, hadn't developed any particular fighting style by the time ASL took over. Tall, lanky at the beginning, but quickly filling out muscle; black, spiky hair, bright blue eyes (if you've ever read Percy Jackson – Finn's practically how I'd imagine a male Thalia – without the emo clothing).

After quite a few difficulties, Finn's finally become the second commander, slowly growing into his new position and his new Devil Fruit.

First to quickly grow close to his new captains, partly due to proximity of age. His idol, however, is Francis.

 **Ivy:**

A short woman in her mid-twenties, the crew's most talented sniper. She joined Francis' crew about four years ago, but due to her shyness, she only grew close to a few of the other members (particularly Goode and Finn). Emerald green hair in a pixie cut, brown eyes, usually wears fancy guns at her hips.

Since Ivy's sister Zandra blames her for their father's suicide, they've barely spoken since they joined Francis' crew. The rift between them is currently causing her quite a bit of trouble.

 **Goode:**

Francis' best friend, formerly the first mate of their crew. Has been on Francis's side ever since his friend had a fight with his father. Fights using two swords, currently the most talented swordsman of the crew. Medium height, muscular, tanned, short blonde hair, heavily scarred (think Stephen Lang in Avatar with a charming personality).

Sarcastic, likes to make jokes at other people's cost, but is usually tactful enough. Also works as the ship's head cook.

 **Zandra:**

Ivy's younger sister, also a sniper, if not quite as talented. Fairly tall, wears her emerald green hair long.

Zandra mostly keeps apart from the crew, always seeming unhappy. Without being prompted, she's rarely seen speaking to anyone.

 **Beckett:**

The crew's current head doctor, a stocky man in his mid-forties. He tends rant about the idiocy of his crewmates and doesn't understand the recklessness of many of their fights. Spends most of his time researching in his office.

 **Dante:**

The crew's head navigator. Has been with Francis from the beginning. He's rarely seen during the day due to his sensitive skin (suffers from albinism). His white, wavy hair reaches to his chin; when he's outside, he wears a large, fancy hat that shadows his entire face (like Hawkeye's, just larger).

Not a fighter, but brilliant when it comes to his field of expertise. Also diligently writes the crew's log.

 **First unit - Azure (24 members):**

 **Azure:**

Former captain of the Austin pirates, fairly young for his position (around 20). Prefers close combat, can stop anything in its tracks by touching it (Devil Fruit power). Peculiar appearance – white skin, black eyes, sharp nails, dark blue hair that falls straight to his chin.

Azure's character is rather closed off, rarely shows emotions, though Luffy tends to be an exception to that rule. His father died after declaring his intention to become the Pirate King.

 **Amaryllis:**

Cook of the Austin pirates, talented swordswoman fighting with one sword. Rather doll-like appearance, blond, curly hair worn in a ponytail, blue eyes, a bit taller in height than Ivy.

Quite motherly and soft-spoken, but with quite the stubborn streak. She saved Azure's life and nursed him back to health after his father was killed.

 **Tristian**

 **Second unit - Finn (18 members):**

 **Cameron**

 **Grady**

xXx

After our three brothers return to the past with knowledge of the future, they decide to set sail ahead of time – and to lead a crew together this time around. Picking up seven members, they head towards the Grand Line.

At Logue Town, Ace finally makes peace with his parentage and decides to take up the mantle of the Pirate Prince, earning himself a bounty of 50 million beris and a chest full of diaries about Crocus' travels with his father.

At their first island, No Man's land, they promptly get into a fight with the island's leader and end up with a castle and an island to govern. Thanks to a run-in with Dragon back on Dawn Island, that task is quickly transferred to the Revolutionary Army.

Their crew massively expands there, as well, with Luffy recruiting Azure, a captain of his own crew, and Sabo freeing the slaves on the island. As such, a first and a second unit are quickly founded. While the command of the first is self-explanatory, the second commander Finn has suffered too many defeats to accept the position in good conscience.

That situation remains unresolved when they set sail towards the next island using Azure's already set log pose. On the journey, Luffy discovers a stowaway and long-needed old friend, Bepo. After finding out that Law has been captured by Marines, his rescue quickly becomes a priority.

Upon arriving on Snowmelt, the island housing the Marine base G-9, however, their luck takes a turn for the worse when Ace is captured and their first mate Francis close to death. Thanks to Smoker following his heart and assisting Luffy in carrying Francis back to their ship, they can soon launch a rescue operation.

Fortune smiles upon them once again as Ace turns out to have been captured by Vice-Admiral Vergo, who was also (unsurprisingly) the culprit between Law's abduction. A destroyed Marine ship in their wake, the Devilspawn pirates leave for No Man's land to regroup and grow stronger.

That journey is riddled with difficulties of the emotional kind. Law is weary of trusting the crew who seems all too willing to accept him in their midst, and Finn is struggling with his new Devil Fruit powers, which cause him to relive others' most painful memories.

On a happier note, the ASL brothers all have bounties on their heads, much to their pride or, in Sabo's case, eternal shame. Neither of them are too happy with the Marines, though – Sabo due to his measly bounty of 20 million (lower than their first commander Azure's), Ace and Luffy due to their epithets (Pirate Prince and Young Dragon).

Shortly before they arrive on No Man's land, Law finally solves the riddle around Finn's Devil Fruit when the other approaches him as a poodle. He quickly deduces that Finn is a Mythical Zoan, a black dog, the harbinger of death. Aside from his transformation into a black dog, Finn can draw on other people's energy, using it for themselves, with the unfortunate side-effect of relieving their greatest regrets when they feel close to death.

This particular ability inevitably causes the revelation of the ASL's time-travelling activites, as Finn has witnessed both Ace's and Sabo's worst memories. When they confront Sabo, the blonde quickly decides to tell them the truth, reluctant to lie to their new family.

Meanwhile, Ivy has a confrontation with her sister. Long since estranged due to a family tragedy, Ivy makes a desperate bid for reconciliation, only for her sister to blow her off coldly, their father's suicide still too scarring.

Ace overhears Law's conversation with Luffy, and quickly realises that Law has somehow found out about their history. Mind raging with both paranoia and betrayal, Finn fortunately clears up that misunderstanding before it could get out of hand.

At the end of last chapter, Law finally decides to join the crew indefinitely, also finally comfortable enough to reveal his Devil Fruit powers to his new crewmates.

xXx

 _And now onto the new chapter!_

 _xXx_

 **Chapter 9: Messing with Marines – Round Two**

Amaryllis licked the last dark crumbs from her fingers with relish, already mourning the quick disappearance of the brownies she'd baked this morning. Fortunately, experience had taught her to always set a few pieces aside to make sure she didn't miss out on them herself.

"Gods, what did you put in there? These things are like a drug, seriously," Ivy downright moaned as she finished her own piece, looking at the empty plate with disappointment.

"Sugar, butter, and lots and lots of chocolate," the blonde cook replied with a small smile, before adding, "I can't tell you the recipe, though. It's a family secret, you know?" Which was, of course, a lie. But it was one of the last things her mother had taught her, so she'd always cherished that particular sweet.

"So everyone in your family's talented at cooking?" the green-haired woman asked curiously, sounding envious of such a prospect. "I've never had anyone teach me how to cook," she elaborated with a slightly downcast expression.

Deliberately ignoring the last, sad statement for now, Amaryllis laughed at her question. "Oh, no, my father couldn't tell the difference between a pot and a pan. That's why I had to learn how to cook so early," she explained, remembering his lost expression when she tried to teach him how to boil potatoes.

With a guilty expression, Ivy dropped her eyes. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid thing to ask," she said apologetically, obviously beating herself up about her words.

But Amaryllis simply rolled her eyes. "I told you, it's fine. There's no need to dance around the issue. My mother's been dead for years, and I'll always miss her, but she wouldn't want me to miss out on life because of that," she replied with a firm voice, meaning every single word of it.

It had been hard for her eight-year-old self to be suddenly saddled with the duty of managing the household as her father, who should have taken responsibility, had completely sunk into the depths of grief. Yet she didn't resent him for it. Her parents had loved each other fiercely, so it was understandable that he basically stopped functioning when an illness had taken her away so suddenly.

Amaryllis could only hope to one day find that one person herself. That one person without whom the world suddenly seemed bleak, who became the focus of your entire existence. No matter how much it had hurt her father to lose her, she knew he'd never regret having known her.

It was better to have loved and lost, instead of never having experienced the utter bliss of completely understanding and accepting a person and receiving those feelings in return.

"I wish I could look at it like that," Ivy muttered, the guilt on her face only increasing instead of diminishing as Amaryllis had intended, though for a different reason.

Ever since that afternoon in the garden, the blonde had made a special effort to search out Ivy as frequently as possible, to give her the support she clearly needed after that confrontation with her sister. As always, she couldn't help but scowl as she thought about that bitch.

Sure, some of her feelings were surely justified from what she'd found out from Ivy – it was true that their father had been desperate to appease the noble who'd basically ruled the town they'd lived in. Still, practically selling his daughter just because the son of said prick had taken a liking to her was hardly a course of action Amaryllis could approve of.

And his choice after Ivy'd refused to go along with his arrangement, after she'd run away with her sister was simply despicable. He had to have known what this would do to his eldest daughter. Had he simply not cared about that at all? Or had there really been no alternative path he could have taken? Somehow, Amaryllis couldn't believe that.

Especially when she looked at Zandra. Somehow, it wouldn't surprise her if the younger sister had adopted her egoistical ways from her father. Did she even try to look at things from Ivy's perspective? Had she ever even talked to her sister, truly talked, and listened to her reasons and her feelings?

Or maybe she just felt that it had been Ivy's duty to go along with her father's wishes. Yet Amaryllis could never understand how some people could be happy living a life simply according to their parents' wishes. Striving for harmony was a wonderful goal, but not at the cost of one's own identity.

As Ivy looked up from her hands, Amaryllis quickly smoothed over her frown, instead pasting on an encouraging smile. No matter how enraged she was at how Ivy's family had treated her, it wouldn't comfort the woman at all.

"One day, I'm sure you will," she said gently, grasping one of her hands. "It was his own choice to end his life, you have to realise that. It wasn't your fault," she added firmly, feeling as if she'd repeated the words over and over with no avail.

But still, it wasn't in her nature to give up. These things just took time to sink in. "Whatever his actions in the end, I'm sure he only wanted you to be happy. It would be disrespectful to waste the life he gave you."

However, today wouldn't be the day she finally accepted those facts, if her closed expression was any indication. "Yeah," Ivy whispered after a short silence, before getting to her feet. "I should get going," she said, climbing down from the crow's nest without giving Amaryllis the time to protest.

The blonde sighed. Well, at least she'd tried. Even if it felt like she wasn't making any headway at all, she wouldn't stop pestering the sniper. After all, it had taken weeks to get Azure to open up and talk about some of his feelings, and she still hadn't managed to make him let go off his guilt. And he hadn't let those emotions fester for years.

Pressing her lips into a thin line, Amaryllis stood up as well, watching as Ivy disappeared below deck. Almost as if her thoughts had conjured him, she watched as Azure came out of the same door with Francis at his side, heading towards the quarterdeck presumably to spar.

 _"_ _You should have just let me die."_

Her entire village had looked down on her for taking in the black-eyed demon, convinced that he would bring a curse upon their lands. If anyone but her had found him that day on the beach, unconscious and injured beyond belief, he wouldn't have survived. Yet instead of a word of thanks she received a reprimand.

Maybe she should have been pissed. Taking care of him hadn't been easy, and more than once she hadn't thought he'd survive the night. She wasn't a doctor, after all, so her treatments had mostly consisted of the basic first aid her father was convinced any swordsman should know.

Yet instead of throwing him out to the dogs and fulfilling his wish, she remembered taking his hand and just sitting by his side until he fell back into a fitful sleep. And even then, she hadn't moved from her spot until her father worriedly checked up on her.

Unwittingly, her hands tightened around the railing. The next time he'd woken up, he hadn't spoken a single word. For weeks, he'd refused to talk to her, though he'd thankfully complied with her instructions, at least. She didn't know what she would have done if he'd suddenly stopped eating in an attempt to end his life himself.

Finally, though, she shook her head and swung her legs over the railing, quickly making her way down to the deck. Azure was better now. It might have taken months for her to get through to him, for him to find a goal that he could once more focus on, but they'd done it. There was no use dwelling on the past.

One day, she would convince Azure and Ivy of the truth in that statement as well.

Her steps faltered as she contemplated what she should do now. It was still hours until lunch, plus Goode had insisted that he could handle it on his own. Which, of course, she had no trouble believing, but she'd probably still pop by to see if he could use some assistance.

But that still meant she had some spare time right now. Her eyes wandered towards the quarterdeck where she could hear the tell-tale sound of blades clashing against each other. So Francis and Azure weren't the only ones who'd decided to hone their skills further.

Not that that was terribly surprising after the rigorous training they'd been put through at No Man's Land. Their captains had told them without whitewashing that as they were now, they wouldn't last much longer in the Grand Line.

While the three brothers were pretty impressive in terms of fighting – more impressive than Amaryllis ever would have guessed that first day she met Luffy – they couldn't be everywhere at once. And, as Ace's capture had proven, they weren't perfect, weren't always prepared for the worst outcome.

Spotting a very familiar face, Amaryllis jogged over to the black-haired male who was wrapped in his usual, raspberry-coloured coat. "Hey, Tris! You up for a spar?" she shouted, causing said man to sigh exasperatedly.

"Really, again?" Tristian asked, burying one of his hands in his pockets. "You just want to destroy me, don't you? I do have a little bit of male pride left, you know?" he whined, looking decidedly pathetic.

Amaryllis didn't let herself be discouraged by his complaints, though. "Who else am I supposed to ask? You're the best swordsman on this ship!" Well, besides herself, of course, as she'd proven countless times before. And, well ...

"How about that cook friend of yours? You haven't defeated him yet, have you?" Amaryllis grimaced at his grating words, delivered with a smug and teasing smirk. He just loved to rub in that little fact.

Trying to make him feel a bit guilty for his words, she pouted. "Yeah, but he's busy cooking, you know?" It was quite annoying that they usually took turns as head cooks – as such, she hardly had the opportunity to get revenge on Goode. "Besides, I need to get better before I'll challenge him again," she added with petulant expression.

"Wait, so you don't want to be defeated all the time, and yet I'm supposed to do it willingly? Really?" he asked sceptically. Amaryllis' face grew pensive. Actually, he might have a point, this might be a little bit unfair from his perspective. But still ... she needed a sparring partner.

"Besides, I really can't. I've got to repair the railing the captains wrecked yesterday," he said, pointedly raising the set of tools he was carrying.

Ah, yes. She'd heard about that. Apparently, Sabo'd kicked Ace off the ship when the elder raven had magnanimously stated that the blonde shouldn't worry so much about the fights they might soon get into because Luffy and Ace would protect him. They were the real threats on this crew, after all, as their impressive bounties clearly proved.

"Why would you have to fix it?" Amaryllis asked in a surprised voice, any thoughts about the children's antics dismissed. It wasn't healthy to spend too much time contemplating their craziness. "You're not exactly a shipwright," she added, thinking off Tristian's mediocre patch-ups on their old ship.

"Yeah, but apparently, we don't actually have a shipwright," Tristian replied, shrugging helplessly. "Which is kind of crazy, considering there's fifty people on this ship. But, well ... gotta do the best we can with what we have, right?"

"I guess," Amaryllis said sceptically. With Luffy's recruitment skills, it was kind of strange that they hadn't filled all posts yet, particularly since the shipwright was kind of vital to continue their journey.

But that wasn't really her problem to think about. "Well, I don't have a choice but to let you go, then," she sighed, turning away from the dark-haired man. Thoughtfully, she tapped her index finger against her chin. "Who am I gonna bug next?"

xXx

"Why am I here again?" Finn moaned, trudging through the icy streets whilst trying very hard not to freeze his ass off. Mournfully, he thought of the warm cabin he'd left behind minutes ago – now, it seemed like the most beautiful paradise in the world.

"Because Francis understandably didn't want to come," Azure answered nonchalantly, looking not at all bothered by the cold. Seriously, what was he made of? Even Bepo'd started complaining about the weather as they'd approached the island.

Even though Finn knew it was futile, he protested, "There's fifty people on this ship. Why didn't you pick one of them?" A cold breeze had him shivering once again, his fingers growing stiff even protected by leather gloves.

"We're both commanders. If we're not willing to do uncomfortable jobs, how can we ask it of our subordinates?" Even though Azure was perfectly serious, and even though his words made perfect sense, really, Finn couldn't help but sigh in despair.

Ever since Finn had agreed to become the second commander – and boy, didn't he already regret the decision now – Azure had taken it upon himself to teach him all about the qualities a good leader was supposed to have.

Not that Finn didn't appreciate the guidance – in fact, most of the time, he was very grateful for it. However, that didn't mean that on days like these, he didn't wish that Azure took a more relaxed stance on the whole commander thing.

Besides, on such a frigid day, it would be the perfect opportunity to hide inside the ship, with his subordinates, of course, and spend some more time getting to know them. That was important, too, wasn't it?

"Besides, you're perfect for espionage," Azure added. Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult? Of course, the first commander might just want to tell him that he was talented – but he could also be implying that Finn was nothing special. Easily overlooked.

In the end, Finn decided not to overreact to possible interpretations of that statement. Instead, he drawled, "Well, you're kind of ruining that. Everyone's staring at you." It was true, too – and altogether not surprising. Azure did look pretty alien, after all.

The other man didn't even twitch. "I'm used to it," he said indifferently, though Finn got the impression that he was, in turn, watching people even more closely now.

"That's not really the point, is it?" Finn muttered under his breath, pushing his cold fingers deeper into the pocket of his thick jacket. Letting his eyes roam around his surroundings once again, he continued a bit louder, "Well, I can already tell that buying supplies is going to be a pain. Everyone's keeping an eye on us."

"Goode's going to be the one buying the supplies, so it doesn't really matter that they're stalking us," Azure replied. "But you're right. They're definitely very suspicious of any and all strangers," he added, staring at one particularly obvious onlooker until he embarrassedly ducked into an alleyway.

"We just have to last one day here. One day, and then we're out of here again. Can't be to difficult, can it?" Finn asked hesitantly, already dreading the answer he didn't really need.

"Theoretically, it shouldn't be," Azure conceded, his voice still even, though Finn thought he could spot traces of ... something in it. "However, Sabo headed into town as well. And he refused to go with us."

"Sabo's here?" Finn exclaimed, surprised. Why hadn't he heard anything about that? "I thought they all agreed to stay on the ship," he added, worry sneaking into his voice. If Sabo got anywhere near the Marine base – well, his bad feelings would certainly be justified.

"Ace said he'd stay on the ship, unless there was trouble," Azure corrected Finn's statement, heaving a light sigh. "Sabo, on the other hand ... I've had the feeling that he was planning to do something reckless even before we'd returned to No Man's," he added, flexing his fingers as if he was preparing for a fight already.

"Great. Just ... great," Finn moaned again, regretting even more that he hadn't stayed behind on the Tigris. Not that that would have helped much, probably.

Suddenly, the first commander froze next to him, though Finn only realised it when he was already a few steps ahead. Backtracking a bit, he threw the blue-haired man a concerned look. "Azure? What's wrong?"

He received no answer as Azure stared straight ahead with an even more unreadable expression than usual. Worry clenched Finn's heart. When he'd first met Azure, it had appeared as if the other man simply didn't feel emotion like he did, not in the same way that simply couldn't be hidden from the world.

He'd soon realised, though, that even if he didn't exactly look like it, Azure was human just like everybody else. It would have been a wrongful accusation to claim that he was a heartless monster. If anything, he felt emotions at least as intensely as Finn did.

However, for some reason, he'd decided at some point that it wasn't safe for him to show these feelings to the world. Yet after spending quite a bit of time in his presence, Finn'd learned to read the subtle signals his body still displayed for the watchful eye.

Alright, and if he was slightly cheating with his enhanced sense of smell and hearing, nobody could really blame him, could they?

As such, Finn was immediately on alert as he heard Azure's heart rate pick up and his breath go slightly faster. This wasn't just a feeling of being threatened, of being cornered – no, what Azure was experiencing was more along the lines of anticipation, with a tiny bit of panic thrown into the mix.

Following the first commander's line of sight, he spotted a group of Marines walking down the alleyway. Even at first glance, these people differed from the ones they'd spotted around town so far.

Especially the pair at the front of the group caught Finn's eye. Both were clearly of higher rank than the rest of the Marines on this island – maybe, he was finally looking at the commander of the G-9?

Before he could ponder on the identity of these individuals further, though, Azure took a hesitant step forward. Then another, and another, until there was no hesitation left in his stance. There was only fierce determination, coupled with a burning fury Finn had never seen on his face before.

Gone was the cold, calculating commander who kept his emotions at bay for fear of them leading him to make bad decision. In its place was something, someone Finn could hardly even recognise. "Azure ...?" he tried again, but the man didn't even seem to notice his presence.

Instead, he continued walking, steps growing ever quicker, his destination obvious. Finn hesitated only for a second before quickly grasping the first commander's arm. "Azure! What are you doing?" he hissed, muscles straining slightly to keep the man rooted to his spot.

As he noticed that his efforts to break free of Finn's grasp were futile, Azure turned around, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Let go off me," he growled, his voice sending shivers up Finn's spine.

But if the first commander really thought that that was enough to send Finn packing, he had another one coming. They were equals now – he had a right to know what Azure was planning to do. "Not until you tell me what's going on," Finn snapped in return, tightening the grip around Azure's wrist.

"I'm going to do what I couldn't the last time around," the blue-haired man stated ominously in response, which meant precisely nothing to Finn. "Now let go off me, or I'll make you let go." The threat was delivered in such a low, poisonous tone that Finn almost believed it.

But they were on the same crew, right? Azure wouldn't seriously attack him? "Azure –" he started again, but even as he still tried to convince himself that the other man would never harm him, a sharp pain suddenly blossomed around his own wrist.

With disbelief, Finn stared at the blood dropping from Azure's nails as unwittingly, his grip around the other's wrist loosened. Immediately, the first commander used his lapse in attention to –

Azure was only a few steps away from the group by the time Finn was aware of his surroundings again. Almost silently, he cursed, cradling his injured arm as he contemplated what he was supposed to do now. Geez, a little deeper and Azure would have cut straight to the bone.

Yet somehow, despite this painful injury, Finn couldn't bring himself to just leave the first commander behind. Something had obviously set him off, or rather someone. Otherwise, he couldn't believe that Azure would have ever attacked him.

He couldn't just leave now. Even if he really should tell his captains what had happened, he couldn't just abandon Azure when the other man was so distressed. Especially considering the people he was going to fight against.

Decision made, Finn broke into a run, watching with worry as Azure started his attack. While surprise was on his side, even so, his opponents were obviously accomplished fighters.

The bulky man at the front of the group swerved out of the way of Azure's swing with what Finn would have called inhuman speed just a few months ago. As such, the first commander only managed to get a grasp of the man's jacket, immediately working his magic.

Unfortunately, the rest of the group didn't stay inactive, either. Seeing as their leader was temporarily hampered, the tall man next to him immediately drew his katana, demonstrating his immense skill with it by quickly forcing Azure onto the defensive.

Finn cursed again, this time more loudly as the blade got closer and closer to cutting the blue-haired man since as a martial artist, he didn't have any means to block the weapon. Only barely, he'd managed to avoid any injury until now, but Finn could see that it wouldn't be long before he couldn't keep up anymore.

Finally, the teenager was close enough to get involved into the fight. Immediately, he tried to deliver a fierce kick to the swordsman's chest, only for the other to react with lightning-quick speed to block him with his blade.

But that didn't matter, really. At least he'd finally put some distance between the swordsman and Azure, which he desperately tried to increase as he pushed him back with his uninjured arm. "What are you doing, you idiot?!" Finn hissed at his friend, who didn't answer, but instead continued glaring at the bulky man, who by now was free of the previous limitation.

"Orders, Vice-Admiral?" the tall man asked in a neutral voice, his ordinary hat shadowing his eyes in a way that practically made his expression unrecognisable. Finn's heart plummeted further. They didn't stand a chance.

Strangely enough, the elderly Vice-Admiral grinned at the question even as he clenched his fists. "Capture them," he said as he buried one of said fists in the pockets of his jacket, before turning around. "I'm gonna go bug Strawberry until the brats arrive," he added with a tiny wave of his free hand.

However, before Finn could sigh in relief at the probably most problematic fighter leaving, Azure growled next to him. "Just capture? How generous of you," he snapped sarcastically, pushing down Finn's arm. "You're not going to get away this time," he added under his breath, hardly loud enough for Finn to hear.

Before the swordsman could get into his way again, Azure sprinted forward again. However, this time, the Vice-Admiral was more than prepared, punching the blue-haired man in the chest with a force that made Finn flinch just by watching. "You're pretty gutsy to attack me," the old man said, laughing.

A thin trail of blood ran out of his mouth as Azure coughed, but still, he got up again, dropping into a fighting stance despite his rasping breathing. Finn clenched his teeth as the first commander unsuccessfully attacked a second time, jumping back as the swordsman made a move against him.

Damn. They really, really didn't stand a chance. Sending a silent apology to the furious, desperate first commander, Finn turned around, sprinting away from the battle. Fortunately, the swordsman himself didn't pursue him, instead sending a few of the lower Marine grunts after him.

Those were shaken easily enough, especially since Finn simply turned into a poodle when he put enough of a distance between them. Apparently, the possibility of their target being a Zoan didn't occur to the regular soldier.

Nevertheless, adrenaline was still coursing through his veins as he quickly made his way back towards the ship, half-expecting the Vice-Admiral or his aide to suddenly jump him. According to Sabo, all Vice-Admirals were capable of using Haki, and somehow, Finn didn't doubt that his opponent was capable of it as well.

If they were diligent enough users, and if they were determined to capture him for the minor assistance he'd given Azure, he was sure that they'd be able to locate him. But it looked as if they were either happy with having captured Azure, or he was simply extremely lucky.

Or maybe they were trying to find more accomplices. But just for that possibility, Finn kept a suspicious eye on his surroundings, even tapping into his still mostly untrained Observation Haki every once in a while. While he was still reluctant to rely on it in battle, in this relatively safe situation, he figured he'd be focused enough.

At long last, he reached the ship, hidden in one of the numerous little bays along the coast of the winter island. Just as he transformed back into a human and ran up to the ship, he heard a door opening, Ace and Luffy coming to meet him with worried faces, Grady, the look-out, trailing behind them. "What happened, Finn?" the younger captain asked immediately as Finn tried to catch his breath.

"I ..." he started before focusing on his breathing for a little while. Then, he continued. "It's Azure. I don't know what happened. One second, everything was as usual, and then, all of a sudden, he was ... livid. He nearly sliced off my hand just so he could have a go at the Vice-Admiral."

"A Vice-Admiral? The one in command of the base?" Ace asked quickly. As an afterthought, he nodded at Finn's wrist, "Get someone to look at it as soon as possible."

But his own injury was the last thing on Finn's mind right now. "I – I don't know. But Azure definitely recognised him. I think he's fought against him before," he explained in a rush, thinking back to their opponent. Whatever their history together, the Vice-Admiral obviously didn't know about it.

"It was an old guy," Finn added almost absent-mindedly, "grey hair and bushy beard, and he had a scar above his left eye. He ... he didn't seem bothered by our ambush at all, if anything, it seemed to amuse him. There was a pretty skilled swordsman with him, even taller than him, but I couldn't make out his features. He wore a hat," he elaborated.

To his surprise, both Luffy and Ace paled drastically, looking close to panicking. The unease in Finn's stomach spread even further. Had they fought against him and lost in their past? "Dammit, why does he have to be here?" the elder raven whispered, sharing a frightened glance with Luffy.

Then, he froze. "Sabo," he finally brought out, voice full of dread, before he continued more loudly. "We need to move quickly. Sabo doesn't know he's here, he's walking into the base expecting to find only a Vice-Admiral. But ..."

Finn had had enough. "Who is he?" he asked harshly, his heart beating in his chest so loudly the entire ship had to be able to hear it.

Ace's eyes bored into his with a frightening intensity. "The man who relentlessly chased the Pirate King almost to the ends of this world," he replied. Well, that certainly explained why Ace was so scared. It wasn't unlikely that the man saw it as his duty to rid the world of the Pirate Prince as well.

But Ace wasn't done yet. "Monkey D. Garp," he added, making Finn's eyes go incredibly wide with recognition. "Our grandfather."

xXx

Sabo strolled through the bright hallways, tugging his stolen cap deeper into his face as he adjusted his grip on the precious folders in his hands. Whistling a merry tune, which was not in any way meant to support his supposed innocence, he waltzed towards the open doors of the mess hall, taking in the masses of blue and white people loudly satisfying their stomach's complaints.

Ah, mess halls, how he'd missed them. There was simply no other place to socialize as easily, to slip beneath suspicious eyes, to identify weak links. It was always his first destination to go to when he didn't have enough of a clue about his target's location and the layout of the base he'd decided to infiltrate.

Though, to be honest, going upstairs was always a good guess when one wanted to speak to the Vice-Admiral in command of the base. However, a lone soldier, especially one of such a young age as he was, would certainly be regarded with suspicion if he found himself lost there. As such, looking for a senior guide was the way to go.

Sabo nodded to himself, allowing an easy smile to blossom on his face as he thought of the mayhem he would be sure to cause very soon, and the stellar rise in his bounty afterwards. His brothers wouldn't be able to believe their eyes, and Azure would finally lose that secretly smug smirk on his face that Sabo definitely wasn't imagining.

His gaze scanned the room once again before zeroing in on a nice target. Without hesitation or insecurity that might have implied he didn't belong, Sabo dropped in a seat opposite of the man. "Maa, this looks so good! I wish I had time to eat dinner," he moaned, dropping his head on the folders he'd placed in front of him.

The soldier next to him looked at him incredulously while his target only looked confused. "You can't be serious! This is barely good enough to feed pigs, let alone hard-working Marines like us! Where on earth did you come from, kid?"

Although he was slightly annoyed that he couldn't immediately start a conversation with the quiet, somewhat nervous man opposite of him, Sabo stayed in his role. He let his head fall slightly to the side so he could look at the soldier next to him through half-lidded eyes. "Wouldn't have heard of it. East Blue, little village, barely any trade, and momma couldn't cook to save her life." Imagining Amy's fabulous waffles, Sabo cast a longing look at the food. "Trust me, compared to that, this is the food of the gods."

"Whatever you say, kid," the man replied, poking around in his food listlessly. "I still call you nuts."

"Why can't you eat, then?" Sabo's target enquired softly when the gourmet had turned back to his comrades. As soon as the blonde's eyes snapped to him attentively, the man's cheeks coloured. "I mean, if you're hungry, that is," he stuttered embarrassedly.

Thank goodness for the many insecure and attention-hungry loners out there. "I would, I really would," Sabo whined dramatically, "but I gotta deliver these first." He pointed at his folders with annoyance. "Some civvy gave them to me to give them to Vice-Admiral Strawberry. Apparently, they have some crucial information about Vice-Admiral Vergo."

"Really? Where did they get them from?" the man asked sceptically, eyeing the folders suspiciously. Sabo cringed internally. Great. Someone who actually used the grey matter between their ears. Still, nothing he couldn't handle.

"Hell if I know. But I got their contact information and everything." He patted the folders absent-mindedly. "And I checked those out briefly. They seem genuine, but I don't really know enough about that yet to judge," he added, smiling sheepishly.

"May I?" the man enquired, expression fairly interested by now. Ignoring the slight risk of causing the scene, Sabo nodded and pushed them into the man's waiting hands.

Several long minutes passed as he flipped through the pages, turned the folders up and down, the frown on his face growing deeper while Sabo watched in faked boredom, his cheek resting in his palm as he prayed silently. Come on. Take the bait.

Finally, the man looked up at Sabo again, his face mildly worried. "I've been working in administration for eight years now," he said tiredly, "so I can tell you these are normal Marine folders. However, their content doesn't follow any standards I'm aware of. Not to mention …" He flipped through a couple of pages again, scanning the text quickly.

"You should definitely give those to Vice-Admiral Strawberry," he finally conceded. Sabo sat up a little bit straighter as he cheered on the inside and outwardly looked eagerly at his supposed senior. "Do you know where to go?"

"Eh, I'm still kind of new here, and I haven't gone beyond second level," Sabo said with the awkwardness of a teenager who didn't actually want to own up to his lack of knowledge as he scratched the back of his head.

"I'll show you the way, then," the Marine replied good-naturedly, pushing back his chair immediately. Sabo felt a slight twinge of guilt at abusing his good intentions, but the man was a Marine. Unfortunately, they were on different sides.

"Thanks!" Sabo exclaimed, grinning brightly as he gathered the folders up in his arms and hurried after his temporary mentor.

"It will be easier for you to get into the Vice-Admiral's office that way, as well," the soldier said as they walked up the stairs. "It usually takes a while for recruits to be allowed to enter the upper levels, unless they distinguish themselves beyond expectations."

"Think that will be enough?" Sabo asked cheekily, holding up the folders in his hands.

The man sent him a scolding glance in return. "Not with that attitude, it won't," he muttered quietly. "If you're lucky, though, someone will remember your name," he added a little bit louder. Sabo smiled sunnily at him while smirking on the inside. Boy, was he in for a surprise. "What is your name, anyways?" the soldier asked as if he'd suddenly had an epiphany.

"Finn," Sabo lied with a straight face, wondering secretly what their second commander would do if he ever found out that Sabo was abusing his identity.

"I'll try to remember it," the man stated magnanimously as they reached the top floor. Sabo could barely restrain his laughter. Oh, he would remember it, alright. That and his real name, as well.

Vice-Admiral Strawberry was seated behind his desk, his straight black beard disappearing behind it as he was shifting through the papers in front of him, looking half-asleep even as he was doing so. Sabo wasn't fooled, though. One didn't reach the position of Vice-Admiral in command of a base by sleeping on the job. Besides, it was fairly well-known that anyone with the rank of Vice-Admiral tended to be a bit … peculiar. Not that Sabo was one to judge, of course.

"Lieutenant Maiers. What can I do for you?" Sabo looked at his companion with new-found respect. Despite his first impression, it seemed like the blonde wasn't the only one to recognise the brains behind the quiet personality.

As the man gestured for Sabo to step forward, the alleged new recruit hastened to comply, fidgeting nervously at being faced with one of the powerhouses of the Marines. "Uhm, I asked Lieutenant Maiers to show me the way. I received those folders in town, they seem to contain some information about Vice-Admiral Vergo. Lieutenant Maiers looked through them and told me to give them to you, sir."

The Vice-Admiral accepted Sabo's gift without a comment, opening the folder on top to quickly skim through the pages. As he waited impatiently for a verdict to be reached, Sabo let his eyes wander around the office, wondering how he should best start creating mayhem. He'd made it to the commanding officer's room – technically, he could start a fight now, even if he was kind of unarmed at the moment, his pipe waiting for him in a maintenance room on the ground floor.

A tiny frown marred his face as he registered the state of the office. For some reason, the walls were far too damaged for someone with a rather straight-forward reputation like Strawberry's. If he didn't know better, he'd –

A loud crash resounded throughout the room just as Sabo's face lost all its colour. In the newest hole in the office, probably the only part of the wall that hadn't been touched before, the shitty geezer stood in all his glory, a cheerful grin on his face as he munched on his rice crackers. "Yo, Strawberry, don't you think –"

And that was when he spotted Sabo. The blonde stood still like a deer caught in the head-lights, while the old man blinked, the rice cracker frozen in front of his open mouth.

"Garp. Could you at least do me a favour and enter through the holes you already punched into my walls?" Strawberry asked tiredly, apparently unaware of the sudden tension in the room as he hadn't even lifted his eyes from the pages. "This room is going to collapse on me soon the way you're going. I should have you arrested for destroying Marine property."

Sabo had to hand it to the man. He sure had guts. Not everyone, not even in the Marine's elite, would dare to tell Garp the Hero what to do. It seemed as if his grandfather thought the same. "But Strawberry, using those holes would be the same as using the door," the man whined, reminding Sabo of Luffy to an uncomfortable degree. It couldn't be natural to be distracted so easily.

Not one to look a gift horse into the mouth, though, Sabo slowly backed away, taking cover behind his lieutenant while Strawberry and Garp bickered. The soldier seemed to recognise the fear on his face and, unfortunately, presumed to comfort him. "Pretty intimidating, isn't he? There is a reason why he's feared across the seas," he said, barely above a whisper. "No worries, though. He's on our side."

Sabo laughed awkwardly. "Y-yeah … I-I'm not worried at all!" he protested unconvincingly, waving his hands around nervously as he backed even further towards the door.

"And don't think I've forgotten about you, brat!" Garp suddenly bellowed, turning around from the desk with his fist raised, completely interrupting whatever Strawberry had been about to say.

"Eep!" Sabo once again froze, his eyes darting around for any distraction to throw at the man. Unfortunately, nothing readily presented itself.

"Vice-Admiral, this is one of our new recruits, Finn," the poor lieutenant started upon seeing Sabo's predicament. Recognising the even more thunderous look on Garp's face, though, the blonde cursed the soldier internally for opening his mouth, no matter how stupidly brave it was to face a Vice-Admiral's wrath. "He just brought vital information –"

"His name's what?!" Garp bellowed, not even letting the man finish his sentence.

Steeling his nerves, Sabo grinned at his grandfather brightly. "Hey, Gramps! So nice to see you again, and so unexpected! Gotta go now!" He waved cheerfully at the dumbfounded group in the office, grasping his lieutenants collar. "Bye, Gramps!" And with those words, he broke into a mad dash, dragging his unwilling accomplice with him.

The doors flew by them as Sabo sprinted down the hallways they'd previously passed at a leisurely pace. After quite a few seconds of only Sabo's footsteps pounding against the floor, and Garp's furious shouting somewhere in the background, the lieutenant Sabo'd instinctively grabbed upon fleeing the office somewhat regained his composure. "Wait, you're Garp's grandson?"

"Yup!" Sabo chirped shortly, not breaking his pace for even a second.

"Uhm, why are you running from him, then?" the man asked naively, obviously still oblivious to the fact that Sabo was anything but a Marine. But, well, it seemed Garp's relations weren't exactly common knowledge amongst his colleagues yet.

For now, the blonde figured there was no harm in keeping up the charade. It was way too much fun, anyways. "Are you kidding? You just met him, didn't you? The old man's crazy!" Sabo shouted, flinching when the sound of a wall breaking reached his ears. Thankfully, he'd finally reached the stairs leading to the lower levels. "Down it is!" he shouted cheerfully as he threw the unwilling lieutenant over his shoulder and jumped onto the railing.

"What? Don't –" The rest of Maiers' protests dissipated into thin air as the levels rushed past them. Cracks spread all across the tiles when Sabo's Haki-coated feet landed on the ground level, several soldiers a little too close to the impact dropping to the ground. "Ooo-kay," the shaken man on his shoulder stuttered. "I can see you're related."

"Really?" Sabo grinned brightly. "I'm adopted, y'know?" On the inside, he shuddered. They were not related. Nope.

The brief second of horror passed and Sabo was running down the hallways on the ground level now, single-mindedly heading towards the maintenance room that housed his precious pipe. Somehow, the lieutenant on his shoulders turned into quite a chatterbox on the way. "You are? I guess you do look nothing alike," he stuttered. Sabo blamed the adrenaline.

"And thank goodness for that," Sabo declared as he threw the door open, depositing his companion on the floor next to one of the cupboards as the entrance fell shut. Immediately, he started rummaging around in the darkness until he found his hidden belongings. "Damn, I still can't believe he's here now!" he whined as he slipped out of the Marine shirt.

"He didn't tell you he was coming?" the lieutenant asked curiously as he got back to his feet, wincing as he hit his head in the darkness. Sabo smiled sympathetically even if the other man couldn't see it. This day was sure to give the poor man no end of headaches.

"We're not exactly in contact regularly," Sabo explained, making use of the wonderful phenomenon of telling the truth while still misleading his companion. "Besides, he likes to get the drop on us. Keep the senses sharp and everything."

"Us?" the man asked confused as Sabo tied his cravat, slipping into his jacket once he was done.

Grabbing his hat and his pipe, Sabo nodded into his direction. "Yup. Us. My brothers are on this island, too, y'know. I definitely gotta warn them." Determinedly, Sabo put his hat onto his blonde locks, his hand gripping his pipe tightly.

"Your brothers?! I never even heard that Garp the Hero had a family!" the lieutenant exclaimed incredulously.

Sabo pushed the door open again, blinking at the sudden influx of light. "I'm not surprised. We don't exactly do him proud," he stated, smirking as he twirled his pipe in his hand and got into a fighting stance.

A shocked silence followed his words. Then, the soldier stuttered, "W-wait, you're –"

However, he never got to finish his sentence as Garp the Fist fell came through the ceiling with a resounding crash. Despite having expected it, Sabo couldn't help but stare at the fist buried in the floor incredulously, before looking back up into the hole. "You. Punched through four ceilings. Four. That's insane." Seriously, sometimes he wondered if Garp was secretly an enemy of the Marines, after all.

"You brat! How dare you run from the Fist of Love?!" Garp shouted as if he hadn't heard Sabo's words and tore his fist from the floor to wave it in front of his grandson's face.

Despite breaking into a cold sweat, Sabo tried to justify himself. "W-well, you see, I really had to go change," the blonde started, pointing at his clothes. "I'm kinda allergic to Marine uniforms."

A fist that would have smashed his face if he hadn't danced to the side at the last second was the only answer Sabo received. The wall behind him suffered the brunt of Garp's wrath instead, little pieces crumbling to the floor.

The blonde's sharp eyes immediately took in the weak spot in the only barrier to his freedom and jumped back from his frothing grandfather, raising his hands innocently. "Hey, can't we talk about this? Like reasonable adults?"

"I'll teach you reasonable!" Garp replied loudly, raising his fist threateningly again. Sabo sweatdropped as he quickly evaded the old man's new assault, this time manoeuvring himself towards the damaged wall.

"Meh, I like my kind of reasonable better!" Sabo shouted in return, drawing his hand into a shining black claw. "Dragon's Breath!" The entire south wall of the Marine base crumbled into pieces as Sabo jumped through the debris to safety.

Well, or at least that's what he'd thought it would be. Unfortunately, his desired freedom was barred by dozens of dumbfounded Marines as he landed in the middle of a training ground. Before he could hurriedly make use of their surprise, however, his stupid lieutenant shouted through the destruction. "That's the Pirate Prince's brother! Capture him!"

Something inside the blonde snapped. "My name's Sabo, goddammit! Is it so fricking difficult to remember my name, you fucktards?!" Most Marines dropped around him as he let his control over his Conqueror's Haki slip for a second while he breathed heavily, his face red.

The few soldiers still standing after Sabo's outburst quickly got intimately acquainted with his pipe as the blonde swept around the training grounds like a devil. "I hate Marines," he growled under his breath when none were left within his immediate field of vision.

"Damn, you sure went all out," Ace whistled as he walked through the gates of the Marine base up to Sabo's position, more than half of the crew following him. "Seems like he didn't need our protection, after all, huh, Luffy?" He grinned sunnily at his blonde brother.

Sabo's left eye twitched.

He proceeded to sock Ace in the face.

The elder raven dropped to the ground, out cold.

And that was when the real mayhem started.

xXx

Azure's head was throbbing.

 _The sounds of the cannonballs crashing into the wooden plants, the scent of the crackling flames all around them seemed to fade into the background as Azure stared at Austin incredulously, the sight in his right eye hampered by the blood dropping down from a wound above his eyebrow. "What?"_

 _The stocky man rubbed his stubbly black chin, his face hard. "I said, take a boat, and leave, Azure."_

 _"_ _What? No! I'm not going to leave you here!" Azure screamed at him, ripping himself free of the calming hand the man had placed on his left forearm._

 _"_ _That was an order. You're going to leave, and you're going to live." Despite not even reaching Azure's chin in height, Austin stepped closer and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "A father should never see his son die before him."_

 _"_ _But …" Azure protested feebly, tears meshing with the blood on his face._

 _"_ _I know I was rough on you, and that I wasn't always as loving as I should have been, but you're my legacy. Go and make me proud, son." He let go of Azure and turned towards the towering Marine ship, looking up at the hulking form of a man throwing cannon balls with his bare hands._

 _Azure wasn't done yet, though. "I wouldn't make you proud if I just turned tail and ran like a coward! I'm going to stay here, and fight here, with you, and then we're going to leave together!" His nails left bloody trails in his own palms, but the blue-haired man barely noticed._

 _His father merely sighed in response, not even turning around, and made a motion with his hand. Immediately, two men stepped up from behind Azure and restrained him, the young man too caught off guard to put up a fight in time._

 _Still, he continued struggling as his father turned his face to him partially. "Fool. That is the man who cornered the Pirate King multiple times in the past. We should be honoured that he was sent to deal with us." Azure stared at the Marine in the distance incredulously. "The best we can hope for is that we'll give him a fight he'll remember."_

 _The blow on the head wasn't unexpected._

Taking a rasping breath, he tried to blink through the darkness surrounding him.

 _His breathing was laboured when he came to, the air surrounding him thin as dim sunlight reached him through the tarp covering his body. The sun. Azure's breathing turned even quicker as he realised how long he'd been out. The fighting had started only shortly after nightfall._

 _Shivers wrecking his entire body, the young man tried to get the tarp off him, but his shaking hands didn't comply with his commands as tears streamed from his eyes again. It was so quiet. He was on a battlefield. It shouldn't be so quiet._

 _"_ _Any captives in this sector?" The shout had Azure freezing up as much as was possible in his state. Only now, he recognised the telltale sound of paddles breaking through the waves. A small boat was clearly passing nearby._

 _"_ _Nope!" A far too cheerful voice shouted much too close to him. If possible, Azure's breathing became even faster until he was close to hyperventilating. No captives meant … No captives meant …_

 _"_ _Seriously, what are they expecting us to find with the way the old man was going last night? It's more likely to survive a meteor shower than that," the voice stated in an annoyed tone, even closer than before._

 _"_ _Oi, don't be so disrespectful. You're talking about a Marine hero here! The man who defeated the Pirate King!" Azure's body became incredibly still, his breathing turning slow again. So slow even he himself questioned for a second whether he was still alive._

 _The man who cornered the Pirate King … images from the previous night flashed through his brain. Explosions all over the ship, his father's grim look, voices shouting orders, screaming in pain, begging for help … Azure' eyes slowly fluttered shut._

 _An old man in a white suit raining cannon balls down upon their heads, a broad grin on his face._

Azure groaned softly as he rolled onto his side, his ribs protesting loudly at the movement. Panting heavily, he stopped his movements again, blinking away the tears that had unwillingly sprung from his eyes. Slowly, his surroundings became less hazy.

On the other hand, he couldn't help but wish they hadn't. The first thing he consciously recognised were metal bars reaching from floor to ceiling, his cell illuminated sparsely by the evening sun filtering in from a small window, equally barred.

Steeling his resolve, Azure rolled onto his knees with clenched teeth, stopping multiple times in between as the pain almost made him black out again. But finally, he managed to pull himself into a sitting position, still uncomfortably restrained by his bound hands.

Leaning the back of his head slowly against the wall, Azure tried his hardest to stay awake despite the seastone bracelet continuously sucking at his energy. Who knew what kind of injuries that bastard had inflicted on him this time? He couldn't afford to fall unconscious again now, when the Great Marine Hero could show up any second to finish him off.

He grimaced bitterly when he remembered the fight earlier. Most of it was blurred by a haze of red, a rage he hadn't even known he was capable of taking control of his entire being. Sure, it had been one of his ambitions to find that man in the Grand Line and take revenge for his father and his crew, but … he swallowed the bile rising in his throat. He couldn't afford to lose control like that.

What did his mindless rampage achieve, in the end? Azure was in a cell, shackled with the enemy of all Devil Fruit users, body too beaten to really be of any use in a fight anymore. And now, he could uncomfortably wait for his execution or an extended stay in Impel Down. He wasn't sure which was worse.

A distant crash had Azure sitting up straighter, frowning lightly as he tried to determine its source. Surely, a wall crumbling to pieces wasn't a usual occurrence in a Marine base, was it?

"Don't look so hopeful. That was likely just Garp entering a room," a bored voice rumbled next to him. Surprised, Azure turned his head to look at the thick cloud of smoke hanging in another cell. The silhouette of a well-built man puffing away at several cigars was barely recognisable through this impaired view.

How did he even get cigars in a prison cell? Scratch that, how was he able to light them? Surely, they wouldn't let any prisoners get close to fire or anything flammable. Azure's frown deepened in confusion.

Deciding not to address the paradox of his fellow prisoner yet, he asked instead, "Garp?"

The man choked on the smoke, coughing uncontrollably for a few seconds, before replying with a rasping voice, "Yeah. Garp. The guy you attacked. You don't even know his name? How?"

Another crash resounded in the distance as Azure processed the new information. Garp. So that was his name. Was it a blessing or a curse that he could finally name the demon who'd been poisoning his dreams for the last year? Who'd … "I don't need a name to want him dead," he snarled, his bound hands curling into fists.

It was fortunate that the man shrugged indifferently at his outburst. "A lot of people probably do. Comes with the occupation." He drew deeply on his two cigars, barely more than stubs, as Azure recognised through the slowly lifting smoke.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking. The ground, the walls, the ceiling, little pieces of debris falling onto the floor around Azure, the sound of large rocks crumbling and falling from great heights blocking any attempted conversation. "What …" Azure ground out through clenched teeth, his ribs acting up once again at the tremors.

For several long minutes, this spectacle continued until Azure even started praying that they wouldn't be buried alive. While their cell wasn't collapsing yet, it was quite possible that any path to freedom would be barred by the obviously large-scale destruction.

"You wanna tell me that was the bastard as well?" Azure growled once the sounds subsided, getting his first glimpse of the pale skin and white hair of his cellmate. His eyes widened as he recognised the white jacket the man wore. So they were locking up their own men now, were they?

"Unlikely," the Marine replied, leaning forwards unnervedly. "You got a crew that's planning to bust you out by any chance?"

A crew … his captain's sunny grin popped into his head. "Yeah, I do," he breathed, finally realising the truth of it. With all he knew about Luffy, he should have guessed immediately that they were here to get him back.

 _Cannonballs falling from the sky … smoke and fire surrounding him in equal measure … white teeth glistening in the light of the explosions … "Fool."_

His breathing was speeding up again as panic seeped deeply into his bones. "Wha – They can't! He's going to … They're going to …" Suddenly, Luffy wasn't grinning at him any longer, blood marring his features as he lay motionless on the ground. Ace was glaring at him with accusing eyes, but still he charged at the monster with white-hot fury. The Tigris was in flames, with Francis staring grimly beyond the figurehead, and Amaryllis …

"Eeh?! Smokey? What are you doing in here?" Azure's gaze snapped back into focus with horror as he realised they weren't alone in their prison anymore. Panic turned into pure terror when he saw Luffy push his head through the bars of the Marine's cell.

"Why am I not surprised," his cellmate muttered under his breath, leaning back against the wall and turning his gaze to the ceiling. "I got into trouble for collaborating with Dragon the Revolutionary's son. Go figure," he grumbled a little louder.

Soft hands touching his wrists tore his attention from the conversation between his captain (his captain … why was he here?) and the maybe allied Marine. Immediately, he jerked back despite lacking any room to move, grunting in pain when he fell to the side onto his injured ribs.

"Azure!" The hands followed him to his new position, energy flowing back into his veins when he was freed from the shackles. Only now, he recognised his saviour. Why was she here? Why was it always her? Why couldn't she learn?

"Ama-" he could barely hear his own words over the pounding of his heart. "Amaryllis," he finally brought out as she pulled him into an upright position again. Was she trying to get herself killed? "You should have just left me here."

"We've been over this, Azure," the blonde woman replied with a sweet smile. If Azure's mind had been any clearer, he would have recognised the dangerous tint to it. "You can give up on me 'just leaving you'."

"Hey, Azure!" The rubber boy had apparently halted his conversation with his cellmate and bounded into his first commander's cell, his broad grin only horribly marred by Azure's fearful hallucinations. "I hear you picked a fight with Gramps!"

"G-gramps?" Strangely enough, it was disbelief, pure shock that finally managed to clear Azure's mind enough for the more careful thinking he usually employed. But even so, the scary rage and that awful feeling of betrayal simmered only an inch below his skin. "T-that monster is your grandfather?" With every word, his voice rose a few pitches, his face screwing up into a hateful grimace.

"Monster?" Luffy asked in confusion, the mildly hurt tone escaping Azure's notice. "I mean, sure, he's pretty strong, and there was that time when he tied me to some balloons, and that time when he threw me into a ravine … but he's still my gramps, you know. He's family."

It felt like a punch to the gut. Azure swallowed the bile rising in his throat and clenched his jaw. So that's how it was, then.

This situation was impossible, that's what it was. The blue-haired man couldn't attack his captain, wouldn't ever want to hurt Luffy, yet if the boy intended to stop him, to protect his family … Azure clenched and unclenched his fists before meeting Luffy's eyes with a hard gaze.

"That man," he growled in a low voice, "that man killed my father, and our crew, in a single night. The people who've come to the Grand Line with me, are the only ones that survived of a crew that was three hundred men strong. And that man. Just. Laughed. As if our lives and deaths were nothing but a joke to him."

Luffy met his black eyes with his usual steady, undefeatable gaze, but this time, Azure didn't give in. "It's only thanks to my father that I'm still alive. I'm all that's left of him." Slowly, Azure climbed to his feet, slapping away Amaryllis' helping, calming hands until he towered over his captain. "I hope you're not planning to get in the way of my revenge, captain."

For once, Luffy looked completely serious, not a trace of the happy smile that was on his face only seconds ago. For that, at least, Azure was grateful. He wasn't sure what he would have done if he'd seen that much too similar grin on the boy's face now.

Silence descended over the prison, only broken occasionally by the sounds of the battle being waged in front of the Marine base as the two stared at each other, neither willing to give. Until finally, Amaryllis couldn't take it anymore. "Azure, please, be reasonable," she whispered, tugging at his arm. "You're already hurt. Don't throw away your life for nothing."

For the first time, Azure was truly angry at the blonde woman who'd saved his life when he had nothing to live for. While he had been annoyed by her stubbornness in the past, irritated by some of her habits, there'd always been a sense of understanding between them. Yet now …

Now, she was asking the one thing of him that he could never give. He ripped his arm free from her grasp, pushed her away dismissively, never taking his eyes of his captain, and ignored the tiny twinge of guilt at her cry of surprise.

Luffy dropped his gaze and turned around. "I guess that's that, then," he stated quietly, grasping his straw hat at the brim as he pushed it deeper into his face.

Azure was floored. "That's that?" he asked incredulously, unsure how to interpret his captain's statement.

For several long seconds, Luffy stood motionlessly, his back turned to Azure. Then, he let his arms fall limply besides his body and turned his head to face him. "I don't want Gramps hurt," he said, his voice determined yet somehow weak. "He's family. But you're family, too, Azure." His left hand clenched into a fist. "I can't just ask you to give up on your revenge! It wouldn't be fair!"

His lower lip trembled slightly as he turned back towards the entrance. "You can't ask me to choose," he whispered quietly. "Because I want both of you alive and safe. But that would mean asking you to betray your father's memory. And I won't."

Once again, a silence settled between them, a quiet Azure didn't know how to fill. He didn't know what to think anymore. "If you decide that you can't sail under the grandsons of your father's killer, you're free to leave," Luffy finally said sadly. "But you'll always be family."

Azure didn't know what to think at all.

xXx

Battle was messy. And chaotic. And really, really stressful if you were in charge of minimalizing the number of casualties by applying effective first aid while you also had to keep an eye out for anyone in need of a quick save.

Law pressed his left hand to Cameron's stomach, grimacing slightly when the man lost consciousness. His already stained skin slowly turned a continuous red tint as blood continued to steadily pour from the wound at an alarmingly slow rate.

Tearing his eyes from the swordsman's upper body, the surgeon threw a cursory glance around himself, scanning the battlefield quickly. Only once he was sure that his interference wasn't immediately needed elsewhere, he lifted his right hand and murmured, "Room," immediately followed by an equally quiet "Scan."

Cursing as he detected the inner bleeding he'd suspected when Cameron fainted, caused by a damaged major artery, he quickly unpacked the backpack Luffy'd gifted him on the first day on the Tigris. Since then, he'd upgraded it from a mere first aid pack to a full surgeon's kit.

A battlefield was hardly a place for a sensitive operation like stitching up a bloodvessel. Law's face turned even grimmer when he had to use a needle to defend himself against an opponent sneaking up on him from behind, sweat gathering on his forehead due to the intense concentration necessary for maintaining his room.

Still, after another quick scan of his immediate surroundings, the surgeon lifted his bloody left hand from the wound, carefully removing the torn fabric still surrounding the injury. Only then did he start his emergency operation, his Devil Fruit faithfully aiding him in accurately evaluating the extent of the damage.

Only once the wound was wrapped up with a clean bandage did Law dispel his room, wiping his bloody, sweaty hands on his equally dirty pants, a permanent scowl now edged onto his face. He hated getting his hands dirty in the literal sense.

Once he found two members of the second unit who looked like they were about to keel over from the fighting and ordered the relieved pirates to get Cameron to safety, Law quickly rejoined the battle, his mind unfortunately running a mile a minute.

No matter how talented and, even if nobody but Law and Finn knew this, experienced the three boys were at captaining their crew, with this battle, it had become obvious to him that they had no clue how to organise a medical unit. And if they got into large-scale battles such as this one on a regular basis, they would definitely be in dire need of one.

Heck, they'd left Beckett at the ship. Their head doctor, lounging comfortably behind his research notes while their comrades were dying on the battle field simply because he wasn't there to help them. It was hardly feasible to carry their injured across the entire town – a town that would love to see their heads on spikes – when they had a battle to win.

Law prided himself on his skills as a surgeon, but he couldn't be everywhere at once, especially if he was supposed to participate in the actual fighting itself as well. They needed a group of people responsible for getting the crewmembers who lost their fights off the battlefield with their continued health as ensured as possible.

A gunshot grazed his cheek when he leaned out of its path a mere fraction of a second too late. Law cursed internally. Now was not the time to get distracted. He'd have to address this issue later, but for now, he had to make sure they all got out of this alive first.

"Fuck," he muttered eloquently as he quickly lifted his left hand this time, the blue sphere stretching far enough to turn his breathing strained, but he refused to break his pace. "Shambles." From one second to the other, he was the one standing between the two Vice-Admirals instead of Sabo, who despite his monstrous speed and strength wouldn't have been able to block Strawberry's surprise attack from behind.

Unfortunately, the blow had quite a bit more force behind it than Law'd expected. The surgeon gritted his teeth as he tried to stand up to the Vice-Admiral's strength, grasping Kikoku with both hands. Still, he was forced to his knees, only just preventing getting slashed in half.

However, Strawberry wasn't his only opponent. Law's eyes widened when he spotted the broad grin of the famous Marine hero out of the corner of his eyes, one of his famous fists flying towards him virtually at the speed of light. "Don't go stealing my grandson, you brat!"

Well, so much for his medical unit. Escape effectively blocked by Strawberry's sword, Law cursed the stupid loyalty to his captains that had dropped him into this hopeless situation. He really should have known better than to think that he could hold his own against two Vice-Admirals already. One, maybe, if he was lucky. Two …

The blow never reached him. Maybe a second before he would have been hit, a dark blur jumped the Vice-Admiral's open left side, slashing across his face with sharp nails. Garp reacted quickly enough to redirect the blow previously meant for Law at his new opponent, his attacker dropping to the ground with a heavy thud.

"You again," Garp the Hero growled, for the first time losing his smile as he covered his injury with his hand, grimacing.

Thin trails of blood dripped from the blue-haired man's mouth as he barely managed to lift his head high enough to stare at the Vice-Admiral with determined, defiant eyes. "Me again," he croaked softly. "You'll remember me now, won't you?"

It was probably fortunate that Strawberry was apparently just as interested in the show unfolding in front of them, or Law might as well have gotten himself killed staring at the first commander's uncharacteristic show of emotion.

Monkey D. Garp dropped his hand from his wound, wiping away the blood, before his signature grin returned to his face. "Bwahaha! Of course, I will, brat! Not everyone gets the drop on me!" Three thin, but prominent red lines stretched from above his left eyebrow to the middle of his cheekbone, though his eye seemed to be largely unharmed by some miracle.

A satisfied smile spread on Azure's face. "Good," he exhaled, before his head rolled back, his injuries catching up to him.

"Shishishishishi! You look just like Shanks, Gramps!" Law's head snapped towards Luffy's voice, the youngest captain finally rejoining the battlefield after having left at the beginning to free their first commander. Suffice to say, neither of the Vice-Admirals seemed to be happy about his return.

"Luffy! You ungrateful brat!" The elder Marine hollered, swinging his fists at his agile grandson, their fight leaving destruction in its wake.

It was at that moment that Sabo returned from where Law had dropped him at the faraway side of the courtyard. With one stroke of his pipe, he broke the lax stalemate between the surgeon and the Vice-Admiral, pushing Law into Azure's direction without a word.

His pounding heart finally eased up on its pace a little once there was a little more space between him and the two powerhouses of the Marines. The feeling of being hopelessly outmatched reminded him far too much of his recent run-in with Vergo.

"Is he going to make it?" Francis asked with a concerned voice as he approached Law and Azure while supporting Goode. Law spared a quick glance at the swordman's bandaged leg, finally getting his answer why Sabo'd been fighting two Vice-Admiral's at once.

Turning his attention back to Azure, Law quickly scanned him as well, exhaling in relief at the feedback from his Devil Fruit. "You don't want to know just how many ribs he's broken," he replied drily, "but by some stroke of luck, none of them have pierced his lung. He's going to be fine."

Francis smiled at Law briefly. "Good," he muttered, his eyes roaming the destroyed battlefield distractedly. "It's about time we wrap this fight up."

"That would be a lot easier if Ace wasn't knocked out," Law grumbled, thinking back to their arrival at the Marine base. It had given him quite the impression just what could happen if one of the brothers was really pissed.

Of course, he'd known on some level that all three wielded some serious power. But to see Sabo standing in front of a field of unconscious bodies and half of the Marine base demolished with barely a hair out of place, had changed his understanding of might significantly.

He knew he wasn't the only one affected by the display of power. From the beginning of the fight, it was quite noticeable that the Marines were discouraged, intimdated, rallied to the battle only by the presence of their greatest hero. But now, after Garp'd gotten injured by one of theirs, and was fighting an even battle with their youngest captain, the demolished courtyard grew emptier as many soldiers decided to turn tail.

It seemed Strawberry recognised this as well. "Retreat," he ordered calmly, the remaining soldiers on the battlefield scrambling to comply. "Regroup at point C. Organise a search of the rubble." After blocking Sabo's pipe, he jumped back an impressive distance towards the intense clash between Luffy and Garp. "You should get that eye of yours looked at, Garp."

Garp's fist had just left a crater in the ground at the spot where Luffy had been a second ago when he halted his movements, looking at his approaching fellow Vice-Admiral indignantly. "Tch, this is nothing," the Marine hero called loudly. "I still need to teach those brats a lesson!"

Luffy stretched out his tongue from a safe distance, causing Garp's eyes to sparkle with an even further enraged glint. "That's it! You're gonna get it now, Luffy!" With an almighty crash, Garp pulled his fist from ground and made to jump his grandson – only to drop headfirst when Strawberry hit him over the head with the hilt of one of his swords.

Silence fell over the battlefield.

"He just knocked out Garp the Fist," Francis stated disbelievingly.

Two pairs of sparkling eyes turned towards the first mate. "Can we keep him?"

xXx

 _A/N: Sooo ... It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm really sorry for not updating sooner, but you know how it goes - I was lacking inspiration, then I started watching Naruto, and started reading Naruto fanfics - and suddenly, three months had passed and I hadn't written a single sentence._

 _But after a series of new reviews recently, I read the story myself another time, and I remembered all the ideas I had about where to take it ... it just seemed like such a waste. So, I'm back! (Hopefully back to stay, hehe ...)_

 _Be prepared for a lengthy Author's note, because there have been quite a few reviews since the last time (I love you guys, btw!)._

 _1) About Finn's Devil Fruit - I wanted to squeeze in a fighting scene using his Devil Fruit this chapter, but it didn't work out. There were so many issues this chapter, I'm probably going to spend next half chapter just wrapping them up ... Anyways, I called it "black dog" specifically, despite it kind of sounding lame, because that's what it's called in the original myth. The Hound of Baskerville and the Grim from Harry Potter are all just spin-offs, as far as I know, so it would be weird to use that designation. Sherlock Holmes doesn't exist in One Piece (yet)._

 _2) Ace's reaction to Law - well. I've always seen Ace as an extremely protective older brother, and Law has always reminded me of Ace before he met Luffy. I'm sure Ace sees that similarity as well, and seeing how he reacted to Luffy, it kind of makes sense to me that he wouldn't trust him. And that's not even mentioning his possessiveness, which implicitly spells jealousy for me as well. And then the fact that Law was there to protect Luffy when Ace couldn't anymore ... suffice to say, Ace has a lot of reasons not to like Law. How exactly this will play out remains to be seen._

 _3) Shanks' undercover mission - *chuckles mysteriously* That will be something to look forward to, promise._

 _4) Since it is quite the frequent request - I haven't been able to figure out a way to write Robin into my story, despite how well the Devil's Child would fit in with the Devilspawn pirates. At least not while they're still in Paradise. They might start to search her out in particular at a later point - but that's simply really far into the future. Sorry._

 _5) On a happier note, surprise! Franky's going to be the first Strawhat to join the Devilspawn. Since it's not actually known where he was during all the time he wasn't at Water Seven, the next arc is going to explore one possibility - I'm still hashing out the details._

 _6) And, since I'm feeling generous today (not guilt, nope. not at all!) I'll tell you one more thing: I didn't mention the Devilspawn's lack of a shipwright because of Franky joining. I may or may not be considering stealing one of Water 7's shipwrights._

 _7) While many of you seem to be quite fond of my OCs, I've also had some critiques that I added too many too quickly, and that it's difficult to keep track. I hope it's a little easier with the character description at the beginning of the chapter now - tell me what you think about it._

 _8) The pairings in this story - I think it's obvious that I've been hinting at some possible relationships, like Ivy/Goode and Amy/Azure, but I'm not actually sure I'd be any good at writing romance. The foundation's there, though, so maybe I'll reconsider at some point in the future. (Also, not planning Ace/Nami, that was really just to embarrass our favourite redhead.)_

 _9) A dragon Devil Fruit for one of the members is a nice idea, but I feel like I'm overloading the crew with Devil Fruits already. Particularly with Mythical Zoans, if I go through with what I have planned for the next arch. I want the Devilspawn to be strong, sure, but too overpowered and it gets even more unrealistic than it already is._

 _10) The elephant in the room - will the other crew members find out about the ASL's future/past as well? We shall see. (Translation: Not a clue yet. Sorry.)_

 _11) And once again, I leave a big issue unaddressed - what's happened with our favourite Marine? Is poor Smokey still rotting in a Marine cell for helping the dangerous delinquent that is the Revolutionary Dragon's son? Who knows?_

 _12) Both ASL and Devilspawn pirates are technically correct, but Devilspawn is the one that the newspapers will start picking up soon._

 _13) Sabo doesn't have an epithet yet, but suffice to say, after this chapter, he will. Care to take a guess? (Who knows - maybe your suggestions are better than mine.)_

 _Well, I think I've addressed most issues now ... *scratches back of head awkwardly* Let me know your thoughts, as always!_


	10. Changing minds

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise._

xXx

Names without a description have been mentioned in the story because I don't like to use nameless grunts. In my opinion, it would be rather unrealistic for commanders not to know the names of their subordinates. As such, that list may grow as the story goes on, but these characters probably won't rise to any particular significance. (Unless one of their designs turn out to be particularly well received.)

 **Original crew :**

 **Francis:**

First mate of the Devilspawn pirates, formerly a captain in his own right. Fights using knives, usually partners with his best friend Goode. Orange hair, golden eyes, fairly tall (Think Bill of the Silver Pirate Alliance just with short, lighter hair – I watched this arc only after I'd already designed Francis, and that was pretty much how I'd pictured him).

Confident leader with a good sense for humour, also a very pragmatic thinker. Has recently rediscovered his passion for art.

 **Finn:**

The youngest of the original crew, joined Francis' crew barely three months earlier. Rather insecure, hadn't developed any particular fighting style by the time ASL took over. Tall, lanky at the beginning, but quickly filling out muscle; black, spiky hair, bright blue eyes (if you've ever read Percy Jackson – Finn's practically how I'd imagine a male Thalia – without the emo clothing).

After quite a few difficulties, Finn's finally become the second commander, slowly growing into his new position and his new Devil Fruit.

First to quickly grow close to his new captains, partly due to proximity of age. His idol, however, is Francis.

 **Ivy:**

A short woman in her mid-twenties, the crew's most talented sniper. She joined Francis' crew about four years ago, but due to her shyness, she only grew close to a few of the other members (particularly Goode and Finn). Emerald green hair in a pixie cut, brown eyes, usually wears fancy guns at her hips.

Since Ivy's sister Zandra blames her for their father's suicide, they've barely spoken since they joined Francis' crew. The rift between them is currently causing her quite a bit of trouble.

 **Goode:**

Francis' best friend, formerly the first mate of their crew. Has been on Francis's side ever since his friend had a fight with his father. Fights using two swords, currently the most talented swordsman of the crew. Medium height, muscular, tanned, short blonde hair, heavily scarred (think Stephen Lang in Avatar with a charming personality).

Sarcastic, likes to make jokes at other people's cost, but is usually tactful enough. Also works as the ship's head cook.

 **Zandra:**

Ivy's younger sister, also a sniper, if not quite as talented. Fairly tall, wears her emerald green hair long.

Zandra mostly keeps apart from the crew, always seeming unhappy. Without being prompted, she's rarely seen speaking to anyone.

 **Beckett:**

The crew's current head doctor, a stocky man in his mid-forties. He tends to rant about the idiocy of his crewmates and doesn't understand the recklessness of many of their fights. Spends most of his time researching in his office.

 **Dante:**

The crew's head navigator. Has been with Francis from the beginning. He's rarely seen during the day due to his sensitive skin (suffers from albinism). His white, wavy hair reaches to his chin; when he's outside, he wears a large, fancy hat that shadows his entire face (like Hawkeye's, just larger).

Not a fighter, but brilliant when it comes to his field of expertise. Also diligently writes the crew's log.

 **First ****unit – Azure (24 members):**

 **Azure:**

Former captain of the Austin pirates, fairly young for his position (around 20). Prefers close combat, can stop anything in its tracks by touching it (Devil Fruit power). Peculiar appearance – white skin, black eyes, sharp nails, dark blue hair that falls straight to his chin.

Azure's character is rather closed off, rarely shows emotions, though Luffy tends to be an exception to that rule. His father was killed by Garp after declaring his intention to become the Pirate King.

 **Amaryllis:**

Cook of the Austin pirates, talented swordswoman fighting with one sword. Rather doll-like appearance, blond, curly hair worn in a ponytail, blue eyes, a bit taller in height than Ivy.

Quite motherly and soft-spoken, but with quite the stubborn streak. She saved Azure's life and nursed him back to health after his father was killed.

Tristian

 **Second unit – Finn (18 members):**

Cameron

Grady

Becca

xXx

For a short description of the first eight chapters, please take a look at the previous chapter. This summary only goes into chapter 9.

The crew has once again set sail, and Ivy and Amaryllis are enjoying their leisure time together. As Amy tries to cheer up Ivy, who's been struggling with her past even more lately, she reminisces about her first meeting with Azure.

Finally, they reach Snowmelt once again, and Azure and Finn head out to scout out the state of the island that's already gotten them into trouble once before. At first, everything seems calm, until Azure suddenly lashes out at Finn to attack the Marine he spots across the street.

After Azure is taken captive, Finn hurries back to the ship, where it is revealed that the trio's grandfather has finally caught up with them. Worriedly, Ace immediately assembles a great part of the crew to head towards the G-9, intending to free Azure and warn Sabo.

Sabo, in the meantime, is having a great time infiltrating the Marine base as a new recruit. After sweet-talking a lieutenant, he manages to get into Vice-Admiral Strawberry's office to deliver incriminating material on Vergo. Unfortunately, Garp takes that exact moment to visit his friend and colleague as well.

While escaping from his grandfather, Sabo coincidentally destroys the entire south wall of the base, only to be acknowledged as the Pirate Prince's brother. The blonde is understandably pissed and knocks out Ace when the elder brother arrives to "save" him.

When Luffy and Amaryllis go to free Azure, they surprisingly run into Smoker, who's imprisoned in the cell next to their first commander. Shortly afterwards, it's revealed that it was Garp who slaughtered Azure's last crew.

Finally, the crew reunites in the G-9's courtyard once again, the fierce battle fortunately finding an end when Azure almost takes Garp's eye and Strawberry knocks out his fellow Vice-Admiral.

xXx

 **Chapter 10: Changing minds**

The sun had just dropped below the horizon when Finn left the infirmary once more. Stepping to the railing, he looked in the direction of the town, closing his eyes in concentration.

During the month of training, it hadn't taken the teenager long to realise that his powers were exponentially stronger when he used them during the night. Considering the nature of his Devil Fruit, it sort of did make sense, he supposed.

Quite faintly, he could make out the tell-tale sounds of battle in the distance, but it turned out to be difficult to distinguish between the different fights. Finn's frown grew deeper and deeper, but no amount of concentration managed to give him that ability.

With a sigh, he relaxed again, rolling his shoulders as his fingers sub-consciously caressed the new bandage around his wrist. "Please be okay," he muttered before turning away from his comrades' battle, letting his eyes roam over the ship he was in command of for the time being.

Even if it was only manned by a skeleton crew, Finn felt a little nervous at the responsibility that had been dropped on his shoulders. Should the Marines sniff out their anchor point (which, unfortunately, wasn't unlikely considering the captains hadn't exactly been subtle when they marched on the base with a great part of their crew) and should they decide to cut off their only way out, it was Finn's duty to make sure they didn't succeed.

Finn nervously tugged at the bandage again even though he really knew he shouldn't. It was obvious that he was in charge, of course. He was the second commander, after all, and since he'd been mildly injured before the battle, it made sense to keep him in reserve, especially since it wasn't terribly likely that the Marines could spare any of their men to attack their ship.

Still, training with his subordinates and crewmates, joking with them after an exhausting but fruitful day, drawing up schedules for the nightly watches and all the other odd jobs around the ship weren't quite as daunting tasks as being responsible for the lives of the entire crew. This was the first real test how he'd handle that pressure, so of course, Finn couldn't help but feel anxious.

Quietly, he prayed that everything would go well at the base, and that everyone would come back alive and safe.

"Maa, you're looking so tense, commander," a husky voice complained. The small of Finn's back stiffened when a voluptuous body snuggled against his uninjured arm.

"Becca," Finn stammered, cursing his cheeks for heating up, "shouldn't you be …" he trailed off, his mind annoyingly empty as it always tended to be around the shameless redhead. "In the infirmary?" he finished in a slightly higher voice when a slender arm snaked around his side to come to rest on his hips in a way that did not go easy on his teenage hormons.

The petite woman looked up at him with large blue eyes as she pouted, "Now, what fun would that be when I can be out here with you, watching the stars?" Annoyingly enough, a twinkling light broke through the otherwise thick clouds at that exact moment.

Desperately looking for some way to defuse that particular tension (once again), Finn's mind scrambled to the last thought on his mind. "I hope they're all okay," Finn said in a strained voice, pointedly turning towards the cliff again.

Just as deliberately, Becca moved with him, pressing her cheek against his upper arm. "You're very attractive when you're stressed," she purred. This, of course, caused Finn to tense even further, likely starting a vicious circle. "I could give you a massage to relax you," she added suggestively.

Finn shivered when fingers which had previously rested innocently against his side slowly worked their way upwards on his back. "I-I don't think that would be appropriate," he stammered weakly as he pried off the arm wrapped around his waist.

However, Becca only took the opportunity to quickly snatch his hand and interlace her fingers with his. "We're pirates," she whispered, almost resembling a hiss. She finally stepped around him, closing the remaining distance between them, their crossed hands the only thing separating their bodies. "We take what we want, and damn the consequences."

"Oh, please, just do us all a favour and get a room," a snide voice commented from behind them. Finn tried to jerk away, but Becca prevented him from escaping very far, their hands still linked.

"W-we weren't –" Finn stuttered as he laid eyes on Zandra standing at the entrance to the crew's quarters, a bottle in her hand, her face expressionless.

"Green's not a good colour on you, bitch," Becca cut in poisonously before Finn could get more flustered. "It clashes with your hair."

Finn frowned in displeasure, the hot rush of blood in his veins slowly cooling down again. Zandra might not be the most sociable person, but that was no reason to be quite so mean to her. "Whatever. I don't give a damn," the sniper drawled, turning around to start climbing the main mast with one hand.

His eyes followed her worriedly while she shakily made her way upwards. It was rather obvious she'd already heavily indulged before she'd opened the bottle in her hand. "Now that that unpleasantness is out of the way …" Becca trailed off, laying a hand on his chest as she blinked up at him with her big eyes.

However, Finn snatched her hand around the wrist before she could make any further advances. "That was unnecessary," he said harshly. "Go back to the infirmary. I'm sure you'll find some way to make yourself useful there," he ordered, turning away from the pouting redhead.

"Maa, you're so mean, commander," she whined, but lifted her hands innocently at his pointed glare. "I'm going, I'm going! But just because I like men ordering me around," she added saucily, before sauntering towards the infirmary.

Finn sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. Becca was always … exhausting to deal with, even though she could be fun when she wasn't in one of her playing moods. Even then, it was entertaining to watch hardened pirates get flustered when she made her advances on them. As long as he wasn't the target, of course.

Looking up the mast, he didn't see a sign of the sniper who'd saved him from further humiliation anymore. Since she wasn't on the wooden planks moaning in pain, he presumed she'd made it up there safe.

Mind slightly torn, Finn looked towards the cliff that hid their ship for the umpteenth time, concentrating on the sounds in the distance again. If he wasn't mistaken, it seemed like the battle was slowly dying down … it shouldn't be too long until they got news about the outcome. He had faith in his captains, of course, but the looks on their faces when they talked about their grandfather were pretty worrisome.

Still, he had some time to kill since it didn't sound like anyone was approaching their location … Finn's eyes unwittingly wandered towards the crow's nest. A drunk Zandra wasn't something he saw every day – he should really check up on her, shouldn't he?

He grimaced slightly when he thought back to the days when he'd just joined the crew and tried to approach the seemingly untouchable sniper. Still, she was the one closest to him in age, and that cold attitude of hers had given her an air of mystery that had fit well with her natural beauty in Finn's eyes back then.

Of course, many indifferent dismissals and the craziness that came with the three brothers a few months later had effectively pushed that old crush of his to the back of his mind. Even now that he consciously thought back to it, he couldn't quite conjure up those feelings again. Too much had happened since then – he wasn't the same easily impressionable, insecure boy anymore.

That thought firm in mind, Finn steeled his nerves and made his way up the mast as well, significantly faster and less shaky than Zandra had a few minutes before. As expected, the sniper was leaning against the mast, bottle against her lips, though she quickly put it down to glare at him. "What do you want?" she snapped.

Finn quickly swung his legs over the railing, though he didn't move away from it when he sat down, pouting lightly. "Geez, no need to try and bite my head off," he muttered. "I just wanted to check up on you."

"Well, you have," the young woman growled. "I'm fine. Now go."

Her hands were shaking, Finn noted almost absent-mindedly. Her heart rate was slightly elevated, her jaw clenched. And … maybe it was just the light, but her eyes did look a little red. But that was just his imagination, right?

For a second, Finn was tempted to just follow her instructions and leave. He'd never had to comfort a girl, or really anyone before – he'd be rubbish at it. Heck, he'd probably make it worse, considering the emotional wreck he himself had turned into often enough.

But even as he unconsciously rose from the crow's nests planks, he faltered. If he wouldn't do the uncomfortable jobs … Internally, Finn cursed Azure diligent teaching, took the few steps around the mast and sat down next to Zandra, snatching the bottle from her hand in the process.

"What are you doing?" she asked indignantly, her heated glare going up a couple of notches.

"If you finish that on your own, you're going to end up in the infirmary," Finn replied indifferently, as if her sour mood didn't bother him at all. "And that's not a fun place to end up in," he added, taking a sip of the bottle even if he wasn't a great fan of the taste.

"It's still better than –" Zandra started, but almost immediately stopped herself from talking, her mouth slamming shut almost forcefully.

"Still better than what?" Finn asked softly, eyeing her from the side as her expression somehow closed even further of.

"None of your business," she finally stated coldly after a short silence during which she'd visibly collected herself. Well, damn. It seemed alcohol was indeed capable of working miracles if it caused even Zandra to lose control.

Maybe he should try getting Azure drunk at some point.

Finn took another sip from the bottle before handing it back to Zandra who practically ripped it out of his hands. As the seconds of silence stretched into minutes, he started to wonder whether he was supposed to say something. And if yes, what on earth he could say to break this silence, considering how Zandra had reacted to his attempts at conversation so far.

In the end, he decided to keep quiet, leaving the sniper to her thoughts as he let his own wander. Light snowflakes started to fall as they sat next to each other, but Finn wasn't bothered by the cold anymore. Somehow, as the day had passed, his own perception of pain and discomfort had changed.

His fingers found the bandage that hid the freshly stitched cut once again. Maybe it was the heart-wrenching look of despair, of hatred that he'd seen on the normally impassive first commander's face. Maybe it was the way his own pain seemed insignificant compared to that of his comrades'.

Maybe it was the way he'd somehow been able to perceive Zandra's despair despite her very best efforts to conceal them.

Finn didn't say anything when she started sobbing quietly next to him, but instead simply laid an arm around her and held her close.

Only shortly before the crew returned an hour later did he gather her up in his arms, jumped down to the deck and carried her to her cabin, leaving her to rest in a fitful sleep.

xXx

Smoker stood at the entrance to the G-9's courtyard and looked at the destruction, an unlit cigar stuck in his mouth. Unwittingly, he shivered, unsure whether it was due to the cold or the picture unfolding in front of him.

It was all too familiar to see his comrades bustle around the sight of an attack, clearing up the area and helping the wounded. It was far more familiar to stand in their midst and give orders, answer questions and do the heavy lifting with his Devil Fruit when there was a lack of progress.

Yet now, all he could do was watch from the distance, melancholy weighing on his mind as he wondered just why his life had gone so wrong. He leaned against the archway and closed his eyes tiredly.

 _"This was the place the Pirate King died. Gol D. Roger."_

 _"You're really nice for a Marine, Smokey!"_

 _"What's your name, brat?"_

 _"My name is Gol D. Ace, and I think it's about high time someone took this place down."_

 _"Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to be the Pirate King!"_

"Isn't it about time you got going, brat?" While Monkey D. Garp sat down on the snowy ground next to him and stared up at him with his unbandaged eye, waiting for an answer, Smoker lit his cigar, comforted by that familiarity, at least.

 _"Bwahaha! So you're the brat who got tricked by my grandson, eh?" With far too much effort, Smoker looked up to the entrance of the G-9's prison, trying his hardest not to look as pathetic as he felt. After two weeks of being shackled by seastone and a stricter diet than he was used to, coupled with the unpleasant withdrawal he was suffering from, it was likely a futile effort._

 _Monkey D. Luffy – despite the trouble the kid had gotten him into, he couldn't bring himself to regret lending him a hand on that day. That was probably a large part of the reason why he was still in this cell – coupled with the fact that he didn't have any information to give about the Pirate Prince's crew. After all, helping a child should not be something that needed to be punished. It couldn't possibly be the boy's fault that he was leading a pirate's life at this age already._

 _"Your grandson," Smoker muttered, quietly reevaluating his presumptions. No matter how many times he tried to tell himself that Luffy was an innocent who'd been misled onto the path of a criminal, the evidence suggesting something else was stacking up too quickly for him to be comfortable with._

 _A Vice-Admiral as famous as Garp the Fist wouldn't let his grandson be kidnapped by pirates without them suffering fatal repercussions, would he? So how come Luffy was sailing on a pirate ship and called the Pirate Prince his brother? The son of the man who had been his grandfather's greatest enemy?_

 _"Open the door and leave us," the Vice-Admiral ordered the soldiers accompanying him._

 _"But, sir," the one on his right started protesting, but the Marine hero didn't let him finish his complaint._

 _"But, what? He looks about ready to keel over. The boy couldn't hurt a fly in this state, could he?" The fact that Smoker didn't even have the energy to bristle at the condescending tone unfortunately only proved the truth behind the Vice-Admiral's words._

 _A minute of jangling keys and squeaking doors later, Smoker was alone with the man he'd greatly admired for his whole life. Somehow, when he'd imagined meeting his idol, a situation like this had never even crossed his mind._

 _"How did he look?" The silence before had been unexpectedly comfortable, but now Smoker couldn't help but wonder if Garp always looked this serious._

 _"He looked," Smoker started, pausing as he thought back to their meeting. The sunny grin despite the cold, the excited chattering while the kid slurped his hot chocolate with relish. "He looked happy," he stated, acknowledging that this was the paradox he was struggling the most with. How could a child look so happy when he had to have witnessed the gruesome side of life as a pirate? "Was he kidnapped, sir?" Smoker finally asked hesitantly._

 _"Bwahaha! You should drop the sir. You're not a Marine anymore," Garp laughed, not at all answering his question, instead giving him a veritable heart attack._

 _"What?" he asked breathlessly as his world started to fall to shambles around him._

 _"I doubt that the brat's been kidnapped," Garp answered, apparently oblivious to the effects his words had had on Smoker. "If it'd just been Ace, it would have been possible, but I'd have heard if there was a crew strong enough to take all three of the brats in the East Blue," he continued, pressing a pack of cigars and a lighter into the shocked ex-Marine's hands._

 _"Let me tell you a story about my family, boy," the Vice-Admiral said a little grimly while Smoker scrambled to light the long-needed cigar. "And then I want to ask for a favour."_

"They're setting sail in an hour," Smoker finally replied, exhaling a puff of smoke, his eyes roaming over the familiar sea of white and blue once again. "Anything you want me to tell them?"

Garp sighed and opened a bag of rice crackers, offering them to Smoker, who quickly declined despite feeling flattered by the offer. "Just watch out for them," the Vice-Admiral said quietly.

"Yes, sir," Smoker responded gruffly, dragging deeply on his cigar.

"Bwahaha! You should really drop the sir now, boy," Garp laughed as he stood up and put a hand on Smoker's hand, mussing up his hair. The former captain's cheeks coloured at the embarrassing treatment. "Respect for Marines doesn't look good on a pirate."

"No, I guess not," he sighed, ducking his head as he cast another rueful look at the destroyed Marine base. "I'll be going, then," he muttered, turning towards the town and the cliff he knew a certain ship was hidden behind.

"Be careful out there, brat," the Vice-Admiral said instead of a good-bye, pushing him out of the gate. Before Smoker could react to his statement, the old man was already gone, his presence inciting the soldiers in the courtyard to work even faster.

Smoker sighed for the umpteenth time in this cursed month and buried his cold fists in his pockets. Slowly, he started walking through the town, passing vaguely familiar alleyways, shops and restaurants, a tension noticeable amongst the few people on the streets. Hardly surprising, since neither the battle at the Marine base nor the sad state of their building had gone unnoticed.

Forcefully, he dismissed his worry for the people from his mind. That wasn't his responsibility anymore. From now on, he'd be the one causing the trouble for the people. And wasn't that a cheerful prospect.

It was with great relief that Smoker finally left the town behind him. It would be good to get away from people for a little bit, and once they'd set sail, once he was back on the familiar terrain of the sea, he might be able to delude himself that his entire life hadn't just been turned upside down.

A couple of minutes of silent walking and finally, he laid eyes on the ship for the second time ever. When he'd helped Luffy carry his first mate back to the ship, he hadn't been paying too much attention to his surroundings, but this time, he decided to take a minute to appreciate his new home.

It was smaller than he'd expected. If he had to be honest, it was exactly the size of ship he was most comfortable with, easily fitting a crew of thirty people. Considering what little he'd seen of the crew, so far, though, he'd expected their vessel to be a bit larger.

Just as his eyes wandered towards the figurehead, a loud crash on the ground quite close to the ship attracted his attention. His brows furrowed. Had the Marines decided to stage an attack on the pirates, after all? It hadn't seemed very likely from what he'd seen at the base.

The young blonde he'd seen fighting against Vice-Admiral Strawberry during the last few minutes of the battle he'd witnessed crawled out of the hole in the snow, adjusting his hat and his crawat as he did. Sabo, his mind supplied readily, his mental voice sounding suspiciously like Garp. Had shown up with Ace and Luffy from one day to the other. A genius that had figured out Observation Haki by himself at the tender age of ten.

"You're such a sore loser," the boy drawled towards the ship, taking his pipe off his back as he looked towards the railing expectantly.

Smoker followed his gaze only to be blinded by a rush of flames the blonde quickly evaded. "I can't believe you knocked me out, you bastard," the Pirate Prince growled as he jumped down after his initial attack, throwing flaming blows at the person who was supposed to be his brother.

The blonde simply shrugged as he avoided and dissipated the blows with his pipe nonchalantly. "It's not my fault you can't properly protect yourself, Ace," Sabo replied sweetly, a teasing smile on his face.

What on earth was he getting into here? Smoker watched with exasperation and mild confusion as the raven growled and renewed his efforts, the fight getting even closer to the ship.

When one of Ace's blows singed the hull, Smoker had enough of this madness. "White Blow." Both of his fists shot out, his arms extending as smoke billowed all around him, wrapping itself around the quarrelling brothers, who immediately started struggling indignantly. "You're going to destroy your ship if you keep at it," Smoker growled, starting to sweat under the strain.

Then Ace turned into fire, sneaking out of his grip and crawling back towards him through the smoke before materialising himself once again in front of him. "Who asked you to but into our fight, eh?" It should be absolutely ridiculous that Smoker was wary of a teenager.

If anybody else had been hit by the Pirate Prince's firey punch, they would have suffered severe burns, but thankfully, Smoker wasn't just anybody. Eternally grateful for his Devil Fruit, he turned into translucent smoke, impervious to fire. Unfortunately, the same applied the other way around, Gol D. Ace completely unbothered by the smoke surrounding him when everybody else would have choked.

"Oi, tone it down, you two, would you?" the blonde complained, waving his hand in front of his face while he approached them. Smoker hadn't even noticed when he'd broken from his grasp, but then again, he'd been otherwise occupied.

Miraculously, the Pirate Prince listened to his brother, though Smoker had a feeling that he simply wasn't terribly interested in fighting against him. He wondered if he should feel insulted for not being considered a worthy opponent. "You don't tell me what to do, bastard!" he shouted at the blonde, glaring heatedly at him.

Okay. Maybe he was simply otherwise occupied. Hopefully, since Smoker couldn't help but admit that he was curious just how a fight between smoke and fire would turn out. "Hai, hai," Sabo replied, rolling his eyes as he raised his hands innocently. "Nobody's telling you to do anything. But you don't want to scare off the newbie, do you?"

Smoker's left eye twitched. "Tch," he growled disparagingly, burying his hands in his pockets. Did he look like he was easily scared off? And who did that brat think he was, calling him a newbie while he was barely out of his diapers? His perpetual frown grew a bit deeper.

Meanwhile, Ace's mouth opened and shut periodically, looking from Sabo to Smoker disbelievingly. "What, him?" he finally stuttered disbelievingly, eyes still wide. "When? Why? How?"

Sabo shrugged condescendingly. "That's what happens when you spend all of your time napping," he said nonchalantly, turning towards the ship as he expertly ignored Ace's indignant spluttering. "Come on. Let's get you acquainted."

A little perturbed by the brothers' strange antics, Smoker didn't protest and walked towards the plank leading up to the deck. However, only after a few steps, Ace jumped after them, pushing Sabo out of the way. The blonde fell to the ground face-forward, inadvertently eating quite a bit of snow if his choking sounds where any indication.

"I'll show him around," Ace stated triumphantly, comradely bumping Smoker's shoulder with his fist. "Nobody needs you here, Sabo," he added petulantly, striding up the plank, dragging the speechless ex-Marine with him.

Once again, though, it didn't take long for the other to catch up to them. "Please," Sabo said, throwing a brotherly arm around Ace's shoulder, "you'd get lost trying to find your own bed. And fall asleep standing." Even for Smoker, who honestly did not want anything to do with this situation at all, the smirk on Sabo's face was painful.

"Oi, that was one time!" Ace shouted, wrestling out of his brother's hold and nearly poking the blonde's eyes out when he pointed his index finger at him accusingly. "And you said you wouldn't mention that again!"

Sabo shrugged innocently. "There are some things that may never be allowed to rest," he stated ominously, earning an indignant shout from Ace.

"You're going to stand here all day if you wait for them to finish," a bored voice toned from Smoker's right. Deciding to heed the advice, Smoker fully entered the deck and walked towards where it came from.

If he'd been expecting anything normal from the crew that Monkey D. Luffy was a part of, he was sorely disappointed. A young white bear was lying on its side, a dark-skinned teenager with a spotted hat and a gigantic sword leaning against him. Right next to the bear's head, in perfect reach for both of them, was a game of Shogi.

Smoker blinked. How on earth had they managed to find a Mink at the beginning of the Grand Line? From what he'd heard, they were a rather reclusive people, only a few ever leaving their island, to an extent that most people didn't even believe they existed.

"Smoker, right?" The teenager smirked at his surprised look. "Finn told me about you. You'll be joining his unit since our first commander's out of commission. He'll probably show up soon enough," he explained, gaze returning to the board as he moved one of his pieces.

"Eh, it's no fun to play against you, Law," the mink whined as he scanned the board desperately, looking for any way out of the trap the teenager had just sprung.

"You've been getting better, though," the newly named Law replied with a fond smile that looked strangely out of place on his serious face.

Despite now having a name to match the face, Smoker asked, "And you are?"

"That's Trafalgar Law. Swordsman, surgeon and smartass. Bepo's one of our navigators," a voice cut in from behind Smoker. When he turned around, he saw an orange-haired man practically breathing authority approach. "And I'm Francis, first mate of this crew," he added, holding out his hand.

"A pleasure," Smoker gruffly replied, taking the hand. Hm. He could have bet that this man was captain material. Maybe it was time to simply ask directly. "So we have two commanders and a first mate," he counted, shoving his hand back into his pocket. "This may be a stupid question, but who's the captain?"

The look on Francis' face was absolutely exasperated as he rubbed his forehead while Law snickered quietly. "Ugh, that's why Luffy shouldn't be allowed to recruit," he sighed, "he never covers the basics." The hand switched from his forehead to his chin. "Now, how to put this …"

"Oi, Smokey! Ace'n'Sabo just told me you were here!" Luffy shouted cheerfully as he dragged his brothers towards the small gathering by the necks. It was a miracle that they were still breathing, but from the looks of it, it wouldn't be long.

"Right," Francis announced, ruffling the youngest brother's hair. "Those three idiots are. Have fun trying to stay alive."

Smoker blinked in surprise. The Marines sure would've been interested in that tidbit of information.

xXx

 _At Marineford …_

"We're still assessing the extent of the damage done, but from what I've seen so far, I estimate it will take us at least five months to rebuild the base and resume our regular operations," Vice-Admiral Strawberry finished his agonisingly long report.

The Fleet-Admiral's teeth threatened to combust from how tightly he'd clenched them. "Two Vice-Admirals," Sengoku finally growled. "There were two Vice-Admirals on this island, and you're telling me those three brats still managed to infiltrate a highly secure base, free one of their crewmates and destroy said base – and on top of that, you let them escape unharmed."

It was a credit to Strawberry's unshakeable composure that the voice coming out of the Den Den Mushi didn't show the slightest hint of unease at being faced with his superior's wrath. "As I said earlier, their crew did take a bit of damage, most notably their first commander, who we had in our custody. And Gol D. Ace was knocked unconscious at the beginning of the fight."

"By his own brother," Sengoku repeated through his clenched teeth, still disbelieving of the ridiculousness of that particular event.

"By his own brother," Strawberry repeated, pausing slightly. "So technically, two Vice-Admirals were matched by only two of the brats, as you said previously," the Vice-Admiral added in a self-ironic tone.

Another vein popped up on Sengoku's already strained forehead. "This is inconceivable!" he spit, before visibly collecting himself. "Someone must be helping them from the sidelines," he added in a more normal volume, hanging up on Strawberry before the infuriatingly calm man could reply.

His index finger started tapping impatiently against the desk as he looked over the pictures once again, depicting the few prominent members of the demon brothers' crew they were currently researching.

Like so many times before, his gaze rested on the blonde brother – the only one who's origin was completely unknown. Even his talks with Garp, who by all rights should have known something about his adopted grandson couldn't tell him where the kid came from.

Just as he was mentally upping the priority of sending men to Dawn Island and find out everything there was to know about the boy, his unwanted companion had to comment about the current state of affairs. "They escaped from two Vice-Admirals."

"Yes, I know," Sengoku admitted reluctantly. Those brats had rapidly made him reach the borders of his wriggling room. Now he wouldn't be able to pull the Marines' punches anymore. "You know your orders."

xXx

"Sit down and hold still, idiot."

"But it doesn't hurt anymore! Honest!"

"Are you a doctor?"

"Well, no."

"Then you're not equipped to judge that. So sit down, and shut up."

"But I'm busy."

"Oh, for goodness' sake, we'd be done already if you stopped complaining."

Azure groaned.

Immediately, the bickering stopped, instead the shuffling of feet was heard. As Azure started to blink sleepily, the ceiling of the infirmary slowly registering in his mind, the younger voice once again spoke up. "Azure! How are you feeling? Are you -?"

"Get out of my way, you fool," the older voice interrupted. Beckett, Azure's mind realized as his consciousness returned to the present. So, he was back on the Tigris.

He didn't know how to feel about that. The new revelation about his captains, their relationship with his personal nightmare weighed as heavily on his mind as it had for the brief duration of the fight in the G-9's courtyard. Luffy's cheerful, welcoming smile suddenly gained a different light, a more sinister quality that he knew would haunt his dreams in the weeks to come.

But Luffy'd given him a choice, hadn't he? He wouldn't have to stay here, on board a ship with relatives of his father's killer. But strangely enough, his heart sank further at the thought of leaving. Once again, he'd be left with nothing, back to the beginning, would have to build a new life from scratch.

His thoughts wandered to his crew. Would they go with him should he decide to leave? Azure wanted to confidently think so, but they weren't really his crew anymore, were they? They were part of a larger group now and forcing them to choose would leave both sides weak and vulnerable.

"I didn't think he had a concussion, but this lack of reaction is worrying," he heard Beckett's voice again, trying to focus as he processed the words.

"I could get Law to scan him," Finn suggested, the former younger voice now properly categorised as well.

"I don't need that little upstart in my infirmary. Now get out and let me work," Beckett growled just as Azure decided to try and sit up. "And you're going to be a good boy and stay down," the doctor scolded after the door fell shut behind Finn.

Azure was briefly tempted to protest the condescending treatment, but then again, Beckett was a good twenty years older than him. Besides, unlike some people, he wasn't completely unreasonable when it came to the necessity of medical treatment.

As such, the first commander stayed silent as the doctor worked, complying with his instructions without complaint, not that there were many. Apparently, Beckett wanted to avoid moving him too much at any cost.

"Well, you seem to be recovering quite nicely," Beckett finally declared, moving back to his desk where he started to scribble furiously. "You're far better healed than I'd have expected, considering how long you've been unconscious. Then again, it might be the norm for your kind for all I know." The last bit was said with a pointed note Azure just as pointedly ignored.

"Where's my bandana?" Azure asked instead, blending out the voices from his past that look from Beckett had conjured. There was, after all, a reason why he never left his cabin without it – he almost felt naked when he wasn't wearing it.

Beckett gave him another long stare, before shaking his head in resignation and throwing the aforementioned headdress towards Azure. "You can leave, but for goodness' sake, take it easy. I mean it. And you're checking in every morning and night until I say otherwise."

"Understood," Azure said tonelessly as he tied his bandana around his head, tucking a few stray strands of blue hair behind his now hidden ears to keep them out of his face. His first steps were a bit wobbly, but aside from the occasional twinge of pain and a general heavy feeling weighing on his body, it seemed he really was just fine.

When he left the infirmary, he almost opened the door into Finn's face, the second commander jerking backwards and tumbling to the ground in his characteristic show of clumsiness. Why on earth he'd been standing exactly in front of the door when he could have simply waited beside it would likely forever remain a mystery to Azure.

"Ow," Finn whined, cradling one of his arms. "That probably wasn't good."

Only now, Azure spotted the bandages on Finn's wrist, blurred memories from the fight in the town returning to his mind. That … that was his fault. It hadn't even been a conscious decision on his part – Finn had simply stood in the path of his revenge.

Azure's fist clenched and forcefully unclenched as guilt filled his mind. Was this really what he wanted? Was avenging his father's death really worth it if it drove him to injure friends, comrades on the way to fulfilling that desire?

"You could have at least helped me up," Finn grumbled as he climbed back to his feet. Noticing the first commander's continued silence, the teenager sent him a questioning, worried look.

Azure walked away without saying a word, an unpleasant pounding filling his head. Even though he heard Finn calling out to him, and noticed the looks he received from the crew, he continued walking.

What was he supposed to do? If the encounter on the island had proved anything at all, it had shown that Azure wasn't anywhere near strong enough to defeat that man. He … "I'm sorry, Austin," Azure muttered into the empty air stretching into infinity in front of him as he clenched his hands around the railing.

"Hey, Azure." His black eyes flickered to his right, where the eldest captain had jumped onto the railing. Somehow, the look on his face seemed so knowing, yet insecure, uncertain how he'd react. Had Luffy told his brothers what he'd revealed in the G-9's holding cells? "How're you holding up?"

Azure turned back towards the horizon, pondering the non-existent answer in his head. How was he holding up? The one thing that had kept him going since that night had suddenly, undeniably been shoved far out of his reach. But maybe, he could find something else to hold onto.

Ace watched him in silence for a while, for once looking much older than he actually was. They were only six years apart, Azure remembered. Even so, he'd never expected to experience so much understanding from a fourteen-year-old. It was so easy to forget their age sometimes.

"You know what the shitty old geezer's most famous for, don't you?" Ace finally asked, crouching on the railing in an impressive display of balance.

"The Pirate King's capture," Azure replied without hesitation, refusing to look at his captain's face. This hadn't actually consciously occurred to him yet, but in truth, Ace's and his situation in this regard wasn't all that dissimilar. Except …

Almost as if he'd read his thoughts, Ace nodded. "Of course, I didn't even know my dad, and he would have died of his sickness before my birth regardless of his capture." Azure's surprise didn't show on his expression. "I probably can't completely understand what you're going through, especially since I don't know what happened between the two of you, but please, hear me out."

When Azure neither visibly nor audibly reacted, Ace continued, "I honestly don't know what drives Garp. None of us have ever been terribly close to him, he simply wasn't around enough. But I never understood how exactly he became a Marine."

Azure's lips tilted slightly downwards, his brow forming an almost unnoticeable frown. The frightening urge to start frothing at the mouth about that monster, how he'd taken everything from him for no reason at all, how such a cruel bastard wasn't capable of complex motivations, how he simply lived off causing pain to others –

His throat was as dry as parchment, the taste on his tongue bitter when he forced himself to swallow his fury. The railing cracked slightly under his tense white knuckles. "Without Gramps, I wouldn't have seen my first birthday, much less gotten the chance to become the captain of my own crew," the raven said as if didn't notice the first commander's discontent.

For the first time during their conversation, Azure truly looked at his captain. Ace wasn't like Luffy, always cheerful with an undercurrent of serious promises. Sure, at the first glance, they might resemble each other greatly both in looks and attitude, but … Ace wasn't as light as Luffy was.

Even if most people would accuse Sabo of being the one who thought too much, given his cultured manners, Azure was fairly certain by now that that wasn't the case. Ace somehow seemed like a far more tortured individual than the blonde captain, holding onto his brothers with a raw desperation Azure couldn't understand.

"The Marines combed the island my mother lived on, because they knew Roger spent his last year there," Ace snarled darkly, jumping down to stand next to Azure with a wary glance to the railing. After a calming breath, he continued, "They suspected there might be a child somewhere. If my mom hadn't been so strong and stubborn, I'm sure they would have sniffed her out. I don't know whether I should be mad at her or grateful," he muttered under his breath.

"But the thing is – she died when she gave birth to me," Ace's voice stuttered slightly at the words, but he seemed surprisingly composed considering his words. "And then Gramps was there. He'd promised the man everyone calls his greatest enemy that he would protect his son. He essentially committed high treason just to fulfil the most hated pirate's last wish."

The words rang true. Of course, they did. The rational part of Azure's mind pointed out that he really should have expected the story to go this way, considering that Ace was alive today. No matter how much he wanted to see the bastard as nothing but a heartless monster, the world was never as black and white as that.

Azure discreetly blinked his angry tears away.

"He's likely in hot water, now that the Marines've found out about Luffy and me," Ace sighed, drawing a hand through his dark strands. Another heavy sigh followed. "I'm crap at this. Listen. I'm not going to tell you to give up on your revenge. None of us are. Especially …" He grimaced a bit awkwardly.

"Especially since, if I'd been raised by someone different, I might have as well joined you on that quest. I can't fault you for wanting to avenge your father." The concession somehow sounded a bit more personal than Azure would have expected considering that Ace had already admitted to lacking a true bond to his father.

"Just please, don't leave," Ace suddenly blurted out, his cheeks colouring slightly when Azure looked at him with unconcealed surprise. "You're a part of our crew, our family. It wouldn't be the same without you."

The invisible hand that had held his heart in an uncomfortable grip for so long Azure couldn't really remember what it was like to breathe unhindered finally, lessened its grip marginally. Azure's hand trembled slightly when he let go of the broken railing. "I'll think about it," he whispered, looking away from Ace.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ace nodding after scrutinizing him warily for a bit. "Anyways, we're having a meeting," Ace continued when Azure didn't verbally react. "You up to it?"

Azure hesitated, before shaking his head. "I think I'll go lie down," he said quietly, noting with relief that Ace didn't protest.

The track to his cabin had never seemed as gruellingly long as it did on this day. The stares from the other members of their crew, both wary and worried, depending on who they came from, weighed heavily on his shoulders until he finally closed the door behind him.

Gingerly, he sat down on his bed, wincing as he laid onto his back. His black eyes traced the wooden ceiling, a pattern that had become so familiar to him during the last two months. He sighed deeply, trying to get rid of the tenseness in his shoulders now that he was alone, in his own private space, but his muscles refused to relax.

 _"You'll always be family,"_ he heard Luffy's voice in his mind, conviction and desperate hope in his tone. _"It wouldn't be the same without you,"_ Ace's words echoed, over and over again until Azure wanted to cover his ears, but unfortunately, he knew he couldn't stop sound that only existed in his head.

He didn't want to be their family, not if it meant … They already counted _him_ as their family, blood-family in Luffy's case, he didn't belong here! Why would he want to live with, support someone _he_ had cared about first?

 _"They can make you stronger,"_ a voice that sounded suspiciously like Austin whispered. _"They're already training you to reach their level. You can use that. You can use them."_ Azure curled on his side as nausea hit him.

 _"He's their grandfather,"_ the voice insisted in a snide tone. _"He cares about them. He'll show up again. You'll get another chance. Use that."_ Azure's body started trembling a little, so he dragged his blanket to cover him. Of course, that didn't stop the cold that had spread through his veins.

He felt vile, disgusting for even following such a train of thought, but no matter what he did, he couldn't stop himself. _"You'll always be family,"_ Luffy whispered again, and though guilt threatened to consume him, that didn't stop the nasty voice he didn't want to acknowledge as a part of himself.

 _"I'd rather die than give up on my dream,"_ he suddenly remembered, the words that had effectively landed him in this mess he was in now. _"I'd rather die than give up on my dream."_ And Luffy'd meant that.

How far was Azure willing to go for his ambition? Was it worth his life, his relationships, his happiness, his soul?

His pillow was soaked with salty tears. Another choked sob tore out of his aching throat.

"What am I supposed to do, Mom?"

The emptiness in his room didn't reply.

xXx

"It's so embarrassing! I'm his commander! I'm supposed to be able to beat him!" Francis hummed non-committally as he listened to Finn's rant with only half an ear, refining his sketch of the iconic winter landscape he'd seen at Snowmelt in the meantime.

Luckily for the second commander, his peer was a more attentive listener than the first mate was. "Then learn Armament like I've been telling you. There. Problem solved," Law drawled, looking completely unsympathetic to Finn's plight.

The raven glared. "Right. I'm gonna go do that, then. It's not like it takes hours upon hours of mental discipline, nooo. That's why you can do it already," he snapped sarcastically. Francis hummed again, not quite realising no answer was expected from him right now.

Law rolled his eyes as he turned a page in one of the medical books he carried around everywhere on the ship. "I don't need Haki," he stressed. "I can already cut anything I wanna cut."

"Not if you're going to fight other Haki users, you won't," Finn countered smugly. Francis cleaned his brush in the beaker of water and dipped it into a different shade of blue afterwards.

The surgeon smirked, leaning back cockily. "I'm still going to be able to beat you for quite a while, then," he said gleefully, obviously relishing in the second commander's frustrated growl. "Careful. Your eyes are looking a little red, there," he fluted jokingly.

"If they were, you wouldn't be talking," Finn hissed, crossing his arms as he pointedly looked away from Law. When his eyes fell on Francis, the orange-haired man hummed again on instinct, but didn't lift his gaze to acknowledge his friend. "Please, Francis, help me!" the teenager whined when he grew tired of the brief silence.

Francis mixed a few colours together until he was satisfied that it fit the sea quite well. As his brush met the paper again, he mumbled absent-mindedly, "Pour water on him."

The colour really was perfect. That was exactly how the salty water had looked before it hit the shore. "Pour water on him? Seriously? He's made of smoke! What's that even gonna do?" Finn looked quite incredulous, Francis noted when he briefly lifted his brush from the paper.

The first mate paused briefly, brush hovering over the rest of his art supplies, before shrugging. "Blow him away, then," he amended, proceeding with his far more important work.

"That doesn't even make sense," Finn exhaled, putting his head into his palms.

"Knock him out with your magic eyeballs," Law suggested, sounding greatly amused at the other teenager's complaints.

Finn didn't even lift his head in his despair. "That's cheating," he mumbled exasperatedly.

"He's a Logia," Law countered, stifling a yawn. "That's cheating, too."

"You're all cheaters," Francis threw in with a disinterested voice.

"Agreed!" Sabo chirped from the bed, where Luffy was drooling on him. The kid looked disgustingly cute when he was asleep. Not at all like the little devil he was when he was awake.

It was at that moment that Ace chose to join them. Alone. Immediately, the mood turned more sombre. "No good?" Sabo asked shortly as he adjusted his arm around Luffy a bit more tightly. Francis reluctantly put away his art supplies and placed his unfinished picture in the corner of the room where it could dry undisturbed.

"He didn't say much," Ace lamented after he'd closed the door, leaning against it now. His freckles stood out far more against his skin as he tiredly looked around the room. "We'll just have to wait and see."

Wait for what exactly? Francis frowned as he'd been wont to do frequently during the last few days whenever he thought about the first commander. He liked Azure – the man was sensible, logical, reasonable, and that was something that was deeply necessary with three captains as crazy as theirs.

But as fond as he was of Azure, Francis was torn over what to think about the recent happenings concerning him. His actions had been so far out of character it wasn't even funny, even if they were somewhat justified. Francis couldn't imagine what it must have done to him to see the murderer of his entire crew stand before him so unexpectedly.

He couldn't put himself in Azure's shoes, and he was glad for it. That was a tragedy he could certainly do without. But still, it made the first commander terribly unpredictable, if his loyalties might now be divided between his dead father and his captains, who were related with each other in a way nobody could have predicted.

Not for the first time, Francis cursed the fact that it had been the kids' grandfather who'd been sent to contain the threat Azure's father had to have posed in the past. There were dozens, hundreds of Marines who probably would have been strong enough to deal with them. Why did it have to be Garp? The man should be retired, already!

Still, as much as Francis felt for Azure, he knew he had to be wary. He knew that he would have to be the one to keep an eye on their first commander, to make sure he didn't turn on them. The thought alone made him feel guilty for doubting the blue-haired man's loyalty, but to hope that this hadn't impacted him negatively would be foolishly optimistic. And Francis couldn't afford to be Luffy.

"What's he doing here?" Ace suddenly asked rudely, crossing his arms as he glowered at the surgeon lounging next to Finn. Francis sighed at the already predictable, terribly unoriginal confrontation to come, but he suspected that for once, Ace actually used his grudge against Law to diffuse an even more tense situation.

"Petitioning," the surgeon in question drawled, unbothered by Ace's usual hostility. If anything, it seemed to amuse him. Considering how antagonistic and occasionally sadistic Law was turning out to be, Francis certainly wouldn't be surprised if he enjoyed Ace's attitude.

"Law wants a medical unit," Sabo explained more elaborately, throwing an apologetic look towards his brother. "And he's right. If it hadn't been for him, we'd have probably had casualties during the battle."

"Fine, fine," Ace grumbled, looking close to pouting. "Shouldn't Beckett be here for that, though? He is the senior doctor on this ship."

All looks turned back towards the bored surgeon louning on the couch. Raising an eyebrow at the sudden expectant looks, Law yawned. "Your choice, captains. But I'm sure you know that Beckett's more of a general practicioner. I'm an experienced field surgeon, and my devil fruit makes me uniquely equipped for the kind of work I'm expecting."

"Good point," Francis conceded, though he wasn't completely comfortable with the idea. It wasn't that he didn't like Law or thought that he wasn't capable of fulfilling his job, but Beckett had been the doctor on his crew for quite a while. As such, the first mate was painfully aware of the elder man's pride.

"I'd like to talk about it with Beckett, first, though," he added, already discarding ideas on how to break the news to him. That was certainly one conversation he wasn't looking forward to.

"So Law's gonna be the third commander, then?" Ace asked reluctantly, his voice barely above a growl. "Which people is he going to command, exactly?"

For once, Law actually looked hesitant before speaking. Maybe because despite their strained relationship, Ace was still his captain, and in this case, he'd certainly need his approval. "I'd hoped the other two units could spare a few people with medical experience. There's already a couple who help out in the infirmary. And I don't need that many. Five to ten should suffice for now."

"Go ahead," Finn immediately allowed, maybe a little too quickly. "You can have Becca." Francis snickered at the teenager's plight, who glared indignantly. "Hey, she works in the infirmary, anyways. It's a justified decision," he stressed, the embarrassed blush suggesting otherwise.

"She'll be heartbroken," Francis lamented, his amusement not veiled in the slightest. The fellow redhead was always good company if you knew how to handle her. "Though I'm sure she'll be very happy with Mr. Tall, Dark and Broody here," he added suggestively.

"Oh, stop, you're making me blush," Law drawled sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "What do you think?" he asked more seriously in the direction of their captains. Luffy snored happily.

"Sounds good," Sabo confirmed. "Talk it over with Finn and …" he broke off, grimacing slightly. "Go to Amy. I'm sure she can help you out. And let us know who you picked afterwards."

"Keep it quiet for now," Francis stressed again, anxious at the quick orders. "Beckett's easily offended."

The surgeon's dark eyes swept to him, the bags under his eyes unusually prominent in the fading daylight. "You sure you don't wanna give the position to Beckett?"

Francis hesitated for a moment. It was very considerate of Law to relinquish the position he'd just been promoted to, especially when even Ace couldn't deny that he was perfectly qualified for it. "No," he finally said with resolve. "Beckett's a grown man, he can take it. Besides, he's never been on a battlefield before and won't ever go there if he has anything to say about it. I'm sure he'll be fine with it."

"I won't intrude in his infirmary, if he worries about that," Law conceded. This matter had to be quite close to his heart for the surgeon to be this accommodating. "We're just going to have to coordinate on medical supplies occasionally."

"I'll pass it on," Francis acknowledged, turning towards the door when a sharp knock resounded through the room. "Yes?"

Dante entered the room with an annoyed expression on his face, the rimmed glasses far more prominent as his hat was missing. "Got an island the log pose's not pointing to. Do we want to go there?"

"An island the log pose isn't pointing to?" Sabo asked incredulously, shaking Luffy awake gently. "That's not possible, is it?"

The white-haired man pinched his nose, adjusting his glasses in the process. "If it was impossible, I wouldn't be here," he snapped, before he apparently remembered that he was usually quite fond of the blond captain and his extensive knowledge. "But you're right. If there was an island closer than the one our log pose's pointing to now, it would be pointing there, but it doesn't," he continued a bit more calmly.

"So it's a mystery island!" Luffy immediately contributed, up and going far too quickly for a sleepy head like Francis to realistically conceive.

"Yes, it's a mystery island," Dante huffed exasperatedly, tapping his finger against the door handle impatiently. "So, do we go there or not?"

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Francis looked around the room to see only intrigued, excited and absolutely exhilarated faces. "Do you even have to ask?" he sighed. And there went his hope that they'd manage to go to an island once and not get into all kinds of trouble.

Luffy ran outside with a loud cheer, the rest of the group following more (or less, in Francis' case) enthusiastically to join their many crewmembers already pointing towards the strange phenomenon. "There really is an island," Ace admitted with a sceptical glance to his log pose.

"It looks kind of boring, aside from the fact that it shouldn't be there," Sabo added, mirroring his brother's tone as he scrutinized to the bleak, rocky island from afar.

"Never judge a book by its cover, right?" Ace remarked smartly, sending the blonde captain a mischievous smirk.

"Oh god, now he makes book jokes. The world's coming to an end," Sabo complained dramatically, clutching Ace's shoulder in despair. Francis spontaneously decided that Law and Finn were much better company if he wanted to give his nerves a break.

"Come on, Law, magic us to the island!" Finn ordered when the first mate approached the pair, unfortunately only a few steps separating them from the two bickering captains.

Law growled through clenched teeth. "I can't. My room doesn't reach that far," he snapped, his knuckles white against the dark hilt of his sword.

"It doesn't?" Finn asked with mock surprise that definitely indicated that he'd already been aware of that fact. "I bet I could make someone faint from that distance," he bragged, completely unfounded as far as Francis was aware.

The surgeon obviously thought similarly to the first mate. "Yeah, right. Why don't you prove it?" he purred, pointing towards the rocky shore.

The blue-eyed teenager spluttered. "There's nobody there! I can't do it without a test subject!" Francis spontaneously decided that Finn was spending far too much time in Law's presence if he already talked about test subjects, and wondered absent-mindedly if the dark waves were supposed to look this inviting.

Their spat was fortunately broken up by an outside force. Unfortunately, that force distinctly smelled like rubber that had been accelerated to quickly and was accompanied by two indignant yells. A wary glance back to his previous position showed that the two elder captains were, indeed, gone.

Francis buried his face in his hands. "Not again," he moaned desperately. Why couldn't they, just once, act like normal, reasonable human beings?

"There, there," Goode said good-naturedly, patting his back a bit too hard for it to be comforting.

The first mate sighed, too exasperated to really put up much of a fight. "Alright, pick it up, guys," he ordered, burying his hands in his pockets. "We need to catch up to the captains. Any way we can go faster, Dante?"

His former mentor sent him his usual condescending look. "Feel free to pick up the paddles if we're too slow for you," he snapped, his eyes flitting from the clouds to the sea to his log pose to his notes, anywhere but Francis' face.

"A simple no would have done it," Francis grumbled, but quickly put up his hands in defeat when Dante sent him a stern look.

A few minutes passed by faster than he could blink as they tried their best to catch up to their wayward captains. However, at long last, Francis couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach anymore. "Is it just me or are we further away from the island than before?"

An uneasy silence met his statement.

"Does anyone here have any ideas how we could go faster?" Francis asked desperately at the lack of reaction.

Nobody on deck quite wanted to meet his eyes as heads were scratched, strange tunes were whistled, and awkward whispers were exchanged.

Finally, a deep sigh interrupted the uncomfortable mood. "I can probably give you a bit of a boost," Smoker grumbled, exhaling a cloud of smoke that was quickly joined by more pouring from his arms. The heavy gas was directed towards their main sail, generating pressure that hadn't been there before.

For a few seconds, Francis actually believed they were making good time. The island was finally getting closer again, once again turning larger than simply a spot on the horizon until they could once again make out the outline of the rocky coast.

Then, the ocean swallowed the island whole.

Another silence fell over the deck, this time tinged with disbelief and mild panic.

"So … that just happened," Goode stated drily.

Francis groaned and wondered if he should finally get out of bed. Unfortunately, he also knew that he wasn't nearly imaginative enough to dream such a mess.

xXx

Ace was having an incredibly difficult time breathing.

That didn't actually bother him that much, though – to be honest, he was more pissed about the fact that the air pressure was so high that he couldn't curse his ridiculous little brother who simply couldn't enter an island normally. What was so evil about a plank or a rope?

Anyways, as Ace was slowly turning blue, his skin turning cold against the turbulent rush of air slamming into him, he forcefully turned his head to watch where they were going.

The rocky landscape they'd seen in the distance was approaching far too quickly now. Unfortunately, he still couldn't make out anything more than the boring picture Sabo and he had discussed earlier, since his visual receptors couldn't quite deciper the onslaught of ever-changing information they received.

Still, he could make out enough to pick the perfect time to free himself of Luffy's tight grip and land on his feet before his little brother could crash them against the large rock that had suddenly turned up in their way. And if the lower half of his body turned into flames from the sudden impact, nobody ever had to mention it again.

Luffy, of course, stubbornly continued on his way and blew through the rock, leaving an interesting shape imprinted in it.

"So …" Ace started, looking around himself. Sabo wasn't anywhere closeby, so he presumed that the blonde had used Luffy as a buffer and was probably with their younger brother. Feeling for their presences with his Haki, Ace started his trek towards their position.

It had only been three days, and they were already on a new island. A bright, slightly mischievous grin appeared on the raven's face. Oh, how glad he was they'd set sail earlier than they'd originally planned! The last few months had simply been brilliant, with all their ups and downs and the craziness that was the Grand Line.

And their crew was simply great. Even with all the problems they'd run into since starting their journey, it had only forged closer bonds between their already numerous shipmates. And they were still gaining new members, still expanding.

Ace smirked. Soon, they'd be able to rival Shanks and Whitebeard in size, if not quite in quality yet. And once they'd proved they could be considered as worthy opponents … His grin slipped slightly. Well, Ace was counting on Oyaji's sentimentality for his old rival, was praying that fond memories would prevail long enough for them to be able to form an alliance with the Whitebeard pirates.

Even if he couldn't join their crew this time around, even if he didn't really want to, anymore, since he now had a different family he was just as, if not more responsible for, he at the very least wanted to make sure that they wouldn't be meeting on the battlefield as enemies. That was something Ace was absolutely certain he wouldn't be able to stomach.

But those contemplations were still quite far into the future. For now, they had to make sure they even made it into the New World in one piece, considering the Marines' recent, rather intense pursue. Not only that, but they'd also have to keep an eye out for a certain Shichibukai.

"Luffy?!" Ace immediately picked up his pace when he heard Sabo's shout a bit ahead of him. "Where are you, Lu?" A worried frown appeared on the elder raven's face as he recognised the mild panic in the blonde's voice, and he started running while searching for his little brother's presence.

He was barely out of breath when he reached Sabo, both their faces lined with concern and concentration. "What happened?" Ace rushed out hurriedly, scouring the island's surface with ever-increasing fear.

Where the heck was Luffy? This wasn't supposed to happen, they weren't supposed to get separated again. Luffy wouldn't just disappear on them like that, unreachable by Haki, without telling them first. As inconsiderate and unthinking he could sometimes be, he usually was at least as close that they could easily feel each other if they tried, for the peace of mind of all three.

"I don't know!" Sabo downright screeched, his eyes wide. "He was right here, we were talking about the island, you know, usual stuff, talking about meeting up with you and all that. And then, he was just suddenly gone, from one moment to the next, I wasn't looking for just a second, I swear!"

"Fuck," Ace cursed. Not even for a moment did he think about telling Sabo to calm down, knowing this would be a futile effort when he was a second away from a panic attack as well. He knew Luffy could handle himself, of course, he knew – but he was still his little brother. Freaking out was completely justified.

"There's nothing on this entire island! Where the heck could he have gone?" Ace gave up his search with Observation Haki, turning up nothing. Nothing on the entire island. It wasn't populated by anything but birds, snails, and crabs. A crab could hardly have kidnapped their little brother, could it?

"I don't know!" Sabo repeated, clutching his own elbows with his hands. "Let's just look, okay?"

A tense silence fell between them as they started walking over the rocky island, only broken when one of them shouted Luffy's name without success. With every second that passed without a sign of Luffy, their faces scrunched up further, and they moved closer together.

Ace was maybe a second away from grasping Sabo's hand just to make sure his blonde brother was still here, at least, when he heard him stumble, rocks rumbling against each other. "What the …" Sabo muttered annoyedly, before falling silent.

And he stayed silent.

Ace almost didn't turn around. For a few precious seconds, he kept walking, desperately ignoring the voice in his head that said that Sabo. Wasn't. Making any sounds.

Then, he turned around.

And Sabo was gone.

Later, Ace would be proud to say that he didn't hyperventilate. But it was a very, very close thing.

His breath was going to fast, and the world was turning in ways it shouldn't. At some point, he fell to his knees.

"Sabo?" His voice was weak, barely above a whisper. "Sabo!" he repeated louder and louder, until his voice had grown to a shriek.

Somehow, he managed to stumble back to his feet, making his way back to the spot he'd last seen his blonde brother. The ground was somehow more uneven than before.

He couldn't muster up enough focus to use Haki to search for his brothers. But that didn't matter, did it? They were gone. He hadn't found Luffy, why would he find Sabo now?

Ace wasn't sure where he was going. Everthing looked the same. How could he find them when he didn't even know where he was?

Luffy and Sabo could take care of themselves. They could. They were the three demon brothers. They could take on anyone.

So why couldn't he find them?

Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath his feet.

Ace didn't even have enough mental capacity to curse when the air once again rushed by him far too quickly, but the slide to wherever was probably pretty mild in comparison to flying with Luffy. Which would happen again.

After an achingly long period of disorientation, Ace painfully landed on his ass. A bit dazedly, he looked around the place he'd fallen into, taking in the metal walls, the artificial lights, the sparse furniture and the mountain of a man peering down on him.

Ace blinked. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered where the heck this man had come from when he hadn't felt a single human being on the entire island when he'd scoured it for Luffy before.

That tiny thought managed to bring back some rational thought to his brain, fighting bravely against his overwhelming panic. If he'd missed this man, maybe he'd simply been sloppy and missed Luffy and Sabo, too?

Then again, he wasn't completely certain this man was human. He was huge. His shoulders were far broader than they had any right to be, his arms looked downright bloated in a very unnatural way. Even though his movements were mostly smooth when he moved closer to Ace, there was something mechanical to them.

"That's your third, then?" he asked gruffly, lifting his sunglasses to look at Ace with intense eyes. What on earth was going on with his chin? He lifted his strange arms, revealing blue stars tattooed on them, and struck a weird pose. "SUPER!"

xXx

 _A/N: Thanks for still being here despite the horrendously long waiting time! Unfortunately, with 12k chapters, it's very easy to hit a writer's block, but so far, I've always managed to find my inspiration again at some point._

 _This time, I simply wasn't happy with where Azure was going. I had a whole part written out where he tells the others about his past, where he finds closure, so to speak, and simply decides to surpass Garp. But that just ... didn't fit. This is such a complex issue, it simply didn't feel natural for him to come to terms with this so quickly. So this is likely going to stay a smoldering conflict for a while._

 _Anyways, I hope you still liked the chapter! Finally, the first strawhat has entered the stage! Tell me your thoughts!_

 _A few things that came up in the comments:_

 _1) Yes, Garp did indeed kill Azure's crew. He is a Marine, after all. Going after pirates is kind of his job, even if he's seen shirking it more often than not. I feel it's far too easy to forget that sometimes, that Garp has earned his reputation as a ridiculously strong Marine._

 _2) For the people who're still asking for the rest of the Strawhats to show up ... I'm working on it. I've recently had an idea how to introduce them earlier than I'd originally planned, but it's all still very vague. I don't want the story to be too plot-driven. My focus, as you might have noticed, is more on the characters._

 _3) I don't have a fixed past between Law and Luffy in mind - I'm kinda waiting for what the manga will reveal, but I'll probably be waiting for a long time still, so I'll have to come up with something at some point. But I feel that the prospect that Law dies for Luffy in the canon future is fairly likely._

 _4) I originally planned on revealing the new bounties and Sabo's epithet this chapter, but it felt unoriginal to do it the same way as last time. So it's gonna come up in the next chapter._

 _5) I got a comment that I'm portraying the whole Ivy - Zandra thing a bit one-sided. That's true, and intentional. However, since I didn't want this to escalate, this chapter shows a bit of a different side of her._

 _6) Ace's narcolepsy is known to the crew, actually. It would be kind of difficult to hide. And Ace didn't have a narcoleptic fit during the last chapter, Sabo knocked him out, just for clarification. I'm not really planning to give him medication, because he didn't take anything in canon ... no idea why, but I figure he'd just forget to take it. *shrugs*_

 _7) CP9 has partly infiltrated Water 7 already by the time we'll get there. In the manga, it says they infiltrated five years before the Strawhats arrived there, and we're currently six years ahead of the canon timeline. I'm aware of that. But I also think it wouldn't be very subtle if four agents infiltrated the island at once. So that's the excuse I'll be going with - they simply didn't arrive all at the same time._

 _8) Pairings for Ace, Sabo and Luffy - they're currently fourteen and eleven respectively. They'd be very unlikely to meet anyone their age, who could even possibly grasp what they're going through, so no. Not to mention I think I'd be crap at writing romance. Especially for One Piece._

 _That should cover the reviews, I think. If anyone has any other questions, let me know! Especially you now finally have a new chapter to think about :P_

 _Unlike last time, I'm not gonna promise the next chapter will come soon. My writing process is very unpredictable. But I'm gonna do my best! See you soon!_


	11. The moving island

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise. (But my characters are my own!)_

xXx

Names without a description have been mentioned in the story because I don't like to use nameless grunts. In my opinion, it would be rather unrealistic for commanders not to know the names of their subordinates. As such, that list may grow as the story goes on, but these characters probably won't rise to any particular significance. (Unless one of their designs turn out to be particularly well received.)

 **Original crew :**

 **Francis:**

First mate of the Devilspawn pirates, formerly a captain in his own right. Fights using knives, usually partners with his best friend Goode. Orange hair, golden eyes, fairly tall (Think Bill of the Silver Pirate Alliance just with short, lighter hair – I watched this arc only after I'd already designed Francis, and that was pretty much how I'd pictured him).

Confident leader with a good sense for humour, also a very pragmatic thinker. Has recently rediscovered his passion for art.

 **Finn:**

The youngest of the original crew, joined Francis' crew barely three months earlier. Rather insecure, hadn't developed any particular fighting style by the time ASL took over. Tall, lanky at the beginning, but quickly filling out muscle; black, spiky hair, bright blue eyes (if you've ever read Percy Jackson – Finn's practically how I'd imagine a male Thalia – without the emo clothing).

After quite a few difficulties, Finn's finally become the second commander, slowly growing into his new position and his new Devil Fruit.

First to quickly grow close to his new captains, partly due to proximity of age. His idol, however, is Francis.

 **Ivy:**

A short woman in her mid-twenties, the crew's most talented sniper. She joined Francis' crew about four years ago, but due to her shyness, she only grew close to a few of the other members (particularly Goode and Finn). Emerald green hair in a pixie cut, brown eyes, usually wears fancy guns at her hips.

Since Ivy's sister Zandra blames her for their father's suicide, they've barely spoken since they joined Francis' crew. The rift between them is currently causing her quite a bit of trouble.

 **Goode:**

Francis' best friend, formerly the first mate of their crew. Has been on Francis's side ever since his friend had a fight with his father. Fights using two swords, currently the most talented swordsman of the crew. Pretty tall, muscular, tanned, short blonde hair, heavily scarred (think Stephen Lang in Avatar with a charming personality).

Sarcastic, likes to make jokes at other people's cost, but is usually tactful enough. Also works as the ship's head cook.

 **Zandra:**

Ivy's younger sister, also a sniper, if not quite as talented. Fairly tall, wears her emerald green hair long.

Zandra mostly keeps apart from the crew, always seeming unhappy. Without being prompted, she's rarely seen speaking to anyone.

 **Beckett:**

The crew's current head doctor, a stocky man in his mid-forties. He tends rant about the idiocy of his crewmates and doesn't understand the recklessness of many of their fights. Spends most of his time researching in his office.

 **Dante:**

The crew's head navigator. Has been with Francis from the beginning. He's rarely seen during the day due to his sensitive skin (suffers from albinism). His white, wavy hair reaches to his chin; when he's outside, he wears a large, fancy hat that shadows his entire face (like Hawkeye's, just larger).

Not a fighter, but brilliant when it comes to his field of expertise. Also diligently writes the crew's log. His most prominent character trait is constantly being annoyed.

 **First unit – Azure (24 members):**

 **Azure:**

Former captain of the Austin pirates, fairly young for his position (around 20). Prefers close combat, can stop anything in its tracks by touching it (Devil Fruit power). Peculiar appearance – white skin, black eyes, sharp nails, dark blue hair that falls straight to his chin.

Azure's character is rather closed off, rarely shows emotions, though Luffy tends to be an exception to that rule. His father was killed by Garp after declaring his intention to become the Pirate King. He's currently very torn over his future in the crew.

 **Amaryllis:**

Cook of the Austin pirates, talented swordswoman fighting with one sword. Rather doll-like appearance, blond, curly hair worn in a ponytail, blue eyes, a bit taller in height than Ivy.

Quite motherly and soft-spoken, but with quite the stubborn streak. She saved Azure's life and nursed him back to health after his father was killed.

Tristian

 **Second unit – Finn (18 members):**

Cameron

Grady

Becca

xXx

For a short summary of the first eight chapters, check out chapter 9. From there onwards, each chapter has a short flashback to its predecessor.

As the crew still fights at the Marine Base G-9, Finn is on guard duty for the ship, anxiously waiting for his friends' return. However, not everything on the ship is calm and peaceful, either. Finn encounters Zandra, usually cold and very much sober, for some inexplicable reason so drunk she can hardly walk in a straight line.

The next day, Smoker says good-bye to the still demolished base and his previous life as an upstanding Marine. Upon first entering the deck, a number of surprises have already been waiting for him – from a bear playing chess to accepting three brats as his captains, his life is certainly not getting easier.

Azure wakes up a few days after the battle against his father's killer. Despite a heartfelt talk with Ace, whose history with Garp is far more chequered than Azure knows, he can't decide his next course of action. A tiny part of him contemplates exploiting the relationship between his captains and the Vice-Admiral.

Meanwhile, Francis is despairing while trying to relax by drawing. Between Finn and Law bickering, Law and Ace bickering, Law's sensible but still head-ache inducing proposal, Ace and Sabo bickering … well, you catch his drift. That Luffy once again decides to take off without the rest of the crew (his brothers excluded) barely rattles his composure. When the island their captains landed on disappears in the ocean, though, Francis is very tempted to follow, though.

Ace hardly has an easier time than Francis once he lands on the moving island, though. One by one, his brothers disappear although there aren't any lifeforms on this island that Ace can detect. Until suddenly, the ground gives way underneath him, and he finds himself staring into the face of a very familiar cyborg.

xXx

 **Chapter 11: The moving island**

Luffy felt like he was close to bursting.

Fortunately, he'd made the glorious decision to eat the Gomu Gomu no Mi when he was seven, and as such, a gruesome disaster like that didn't happen to him easily. His stretchy skin saw to that.

Almost as if he'd suddenly remembered his ability, he stretched his arms towards the faraway neck of his nakama, clinging to him like a little monkey. "Hey, Franky! What happens when I push your nose?" he asked excitedly, his grin stretching almost to the edges of his face.

"My nose?" Franky asked, tilting his head slightly to look up at Luffy. He scratched the side of the metal contraption, apparently deep in thought. "You're absolutely right," he finally replied, sounding as if he'd had an epiphany. "It should totally do something! It could shoot acid, or cola, or …"

"Or fire!" Luffy butted in enthusiastically.

But Franky immediately shook his head. "No, no," he said regretfully, "I can already spit fire. That would be boring."

Luffy moved his hands from Franky's neck to the collar of his shirt to improve his hold, pressing his cheek against his nakama's. "What about lasers?" he suggested cheerfully.

Franky hummed thoughtfully, tapping his index finger against his chin. "I'm saving that for my belly button. Or my eyes. I'm still conflicted," he explained. "Would look weird coming from the nose, don't cha think?"

"You should change your hairstyle!" Luffy finally suggested, though he did feel a little guilty for stealing his nakama's idea and selling it as if it were his own. It didn't really matter, though. Soon enough, Franky'd know the truth, anyways.

"AOW! You're a genius, Strawhat-bro!" Franky announced happily, lifting his sunglasses to reveal his downright glowing eyes.

Luffy was just as over the moon. "You called me Strawhat! You're awesome!" This was the first time in his entire second life that somebody had actually used his proper epithet. Even if it hurt a bit to hear Franky addressing him so impersonally. "You should totally join my crew!"

"Your crew?" Franky asked with surprise, before falling quiet for a seemingly long time. His eyes wandered from where they'd been fixed at Luffy's grinning face, to Sabo, who'd just helped Ace stand up. "Oh," the blue-haired cyborg said, dumbfounded. Ace still looked a bit dazed whilst under scrutiny. "OH," he repeated, worry suddenly etched onto his face.

"Oh?" Luffy echoed, disconcerted by Franky's sudden turn to seriousness. It was never a good sign when Franky got serious. While he had always played the role of an older brother amongst their crew of predominately teenagers, he'd always done so in his own lovable, over-the-top manner.

When he was too worried to forget about the drama and the special effects, that's when Luffy knew they were truly in deep shit.

Distantly, the sound of footsteps approaching reached Luffy's ears. Finally, Franky's eyes moved on from his older brother's face, flitting towards the slightly ajar, metal door before quickly returning to Sabo. "You, take off your jacket and give it to your brother," he hurriedly whispered.

"What?" Sabo asked incredulously. Luffy absolutely agreed with his confusion, but if Franky thought it was a good idea …

"Do it," Franky hissed, not commenting on Luffy's encouraging nods. "And you," he added, turning towards Ace, "give me your hat. And if I even see a lick of fire, you're dead."

Ace looked positively dumbfounded when he took his hat off his dark hair, obviously reluctant to let go off it. While none of his brothers were as attached to their hats as Luffy was to his precious treasure, it had turned into a vital part of their appearance over the years.

Seeing Ace's hesitance, Luffy quickly whispered, "We can trust Franky, Ace. He'll take good care of your hat." The elder raven sighed but did as Franky had told him to.

Immediately, the blue-haired cyborg opened his stomach and stuffed the orange hat amongst his cola bottles. All three of the brothers cringed. Hopefully, it wouldn't get dented too bad. "Put on your goggles," Franky finally directed at Sabo as he shut the small door again.

"Seriously?" the blonde muttered under his breath but complied as well.

Luffy barely stifled his giggle at the sight of his brothers. Ace looked perfectly uncomfortable wearing Sabo's jacket, fidgeting constantly as he played with the sleeves that barely reached his wrists. Sabo, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind actually wearing his goggles for once, but somehow, his eyes looked ridiculously large now.

"Shut up, Luffy," Ace growled, awkwardly crossing his arms. "Why doesn't he have to do anything stupid?" he added petulantly, glowering at their future shipwright.

Franky seemed to think for a second, once again looking at Luffy. "Button up your shirt later," he finally conceded, much to the chagrin of the two elder brothers. He shrugged at their betrayed glares, though thankfully gently enough not to dislodge Luffy. "He's young enough not to be recognised."

Just as understanding dawned on Ace's face and Luffy dismissed the comment as too layered to consider further, the footsteps reached their little room. The jarring sound of metal against metal effectively gained the attention of the entire room. Somebody should really get to greasing those hinges.

"Oi, Franky! Why the hell are we underwater?"

That woman sure was dirty. Her hands looked more black than they showed the actual colour of her skin, though it appeared to be fairly light if her forearms were any indication. However, even there, oil stains formed a random pattern. At some point, she must have brushed a strand of her dark hair from her face as a streak of greasy dark marred her otherwise pale cheek.

Luffy opened his mouth to state his observation, but a loud clang cut him off as the woman hit her spanner against the metal door. "You nearly made me explode my bike!" she complained loudly.

"'S not like you can use a bike in here," Franky criticised. Judging from the exasperated look he received in return, it wasn't the first time they had that conversation. "Anyways, I …"

"It's going to drive on water, dumbass," the woman interrupted, the look on her face turning superior. "But I can understand that your poor brain can't possibly grasp the awesomeness of what I'm building. After all, you're limited to cola," she added derisively.

However, Franky didn't look fazed in the slightest. "Cola is the drink of the gods, sis," he countered sagely. "Whatever you're building can't ever measure up to the Battle Franky 36!" Proudly, he pointed his thumb at himself.

Luffy quickly added a thumbs-up and a convincing grin himself.

The woman blinked. "Who's the brat?" she asked, apparently only now noticing Luffy's presence. After a quick scan of the room, she amended, "What's with the brats?"

"It's such a sad story," Franky started dramatically. "They were kidnapped by pirates; can you believe it? They were held captive for days until they finally managed to break out of their cells and bravely took a lifeboat to our island! The pirate ship was just starting to catch up when they reached our shores. We can –"

"So that's why we took a dive," the dark-haired woman cut in again, a fierce frown on her face. "Fucking scumbags. Now they're even going after defenceless kids." She mussed up Ace's hair with a gentle hand, but his older brother still didn't seem to appreciate the gesture much and ducked away quickly, matching the woman's glare. Luffy giggled again. "No worries, kids. We're going to protect you from those assholes."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Franky continued, for some reason looking vaguely annoyed. Luffy was still clueless about what exactly was going on but decided to follow Franky's lead and tightened his grip on his nakama's clothes again. "Look at the poor lads, they're traumatised!"

Luffy's confusion skyrocketed when Franky petted his head as if he was some lost dog. Still, he snuggled closer to his nakama while the frown on Ace's face darkened even further.

It was Sabo that completely stole the show, though, picking up whatever complicated clues Luffy couldn't be bothered to figure out. "It was so terrifying!" he bawled, crocodile tears dropping from his eyes. "I-I thought they were going to kill us … or … or torture us … or," he stuttered, his shoulders shaking. "And they wouldn't even give us anything to eat. I thought we were going to die!" The last wail was already muffled by the woman's chequered shirt as she drew the blonde boy into a hug.

"Shh, it's going to be okay," she whispered comfortingly. "We're going to watch over you, I promise." Sabo gave a thumbs-up behind her back, before faking another sob. Franky grinned. Luffy tilted his head, hoping the world would make sense again. Since when did Sabo cry so easily? And what was he even talking about? Goode's food was great! Almost as good as Sanji's!

"I figured I'd go look for a room for them next," Franky suggested. Luffy was certainly looking forward to it if it meant that the woman would leave them alone and everyone would stop acting like crazy again. "Maybe you –"

"I'll go to the kitchens and tell the cooks to prepare extra big and delicious meals for them," she agreed, completely ignoring that Franky hadn't finished his sentence. By now, Luffy was sure he wasn't imagining Franky's left eye and foot twitching in irritation. "And maybe I'll look for some clothes, too," she added, eyeing Ace's attire critically.

"Yosh! Let's do that, then!" Franky agreed far too enthusiastically, a grin on his face. On second thought, though, it sounded like he was gritting his teeth.

Upon seeing Ace's pissed grimace, the cyborg quickly tried to usher them out of the room. Unfortunately, the woman wouldn't quite let that happen, yet. "Wait! What're your names, kids?" she asked, slowly easing up the embrace a teary-eyed Sabo was still captured in.

Luffy grinned. "I'm –"

"That's Luffy," Franky cut in hurriedly. "He's the youngest. The other two are Tom," he pointed at Ace, before nodding at Sabo, "and … Flam."

"Flam?" the woman asked curiously, looking at the blonde in front of her. Sabo sniffled. "That's one weird name, huh?"

"Oi, it's not his fault his parents gave him that name!" Franky shouted, sounding insulted. "Don't blame the poor kid for something out of his control!" Luffy couldn't help but snicker. He didn't understand why Franky gave his brothers different names, but his nakama's reactions were still worth gold.

"Geez, don't get your knickers in a twist, big guy," the woman snapped, rolling her eyes. "I'm Jemima. I'm in charge around here, so don't hesitate to come find me if you need anything," she added, her tone warm and inviting. "Enjoy your stay on Gem Island." And with those words, she was gone, the footsteps once again retreating into the distance.

Franky exhaled carefully as soon as they were alone in the room. "Alright, crisis averted," he muttered, before grinning brightly again. "Let's get going, eh, brats?"

"Hold on just a second," Sabo growled, suddenly in front of the door. Irritatedly, he took off his goggles, wiping his eyes. "If I'm gonna be the crybaby, at least I want to know why." With a swift movement, the door fell shut behind him, confining the four to the small room.

"How did you …" Franky started, looking from the spot Sabo'd occupied just a second before to the door where he stood now with a mixture of awe and wariness.

"Judging from your actions before, I'm sure you've figured out who we are," Sabo said darkly. "You'd do best not to underestimate us. So, start talking."

"Stop it, Sabo!" Luffy frowned and jumped down from Franky's back immediately. Another quick step and he was in between the two, glaring at his blonde brother. "Don't threaten Franky."

"Luffy," Sabo snapped, surprisingly irritated. Luffy's frown deepened. What was going on with his brother? "We don't know where we are. We don't know what's going on. We don't know how to get out of here." Each sentence had the force of a hammer. "But he does."

"I know _you_ don't want to get on his bad side, but right now, _I_ don't care." Luffy's fist clenched in warning as Sabo continued pushing buttons he should know not to touch. "We need information. And I'm willing to do what needs to be done."

"You won't touch Franky." The air turned a bit thinner in the room, sweat drops appeared on the foreheads of the other occupants as Luffy directed a tiny fraction of his Conqueror's Haki at his brother. Just enough to show he meant business because that was apparently all Sabo cared about. "You're my brother, but you won't touch Franky."

"Now, now, guys, there's no need to …" Luffy barely heard the cyborg's attempted intervention. What did reach his ears, though, was Ace's voice.

"Luffy." Ace's frown from before had disappeared, his expression soft as his eyes wandered from one brother to the other. "Come here." Luffy didn't move an inch.

The elder raven sighed tiredly. "Tone it down a bit, Sabo. Franky's been a great help so far. Let's not do him a disservice." Sabo's frown didn't disappear, but his glare did lessen a bit. Eyeing his brother with a wariness he detested, Luffy eased up his own stance.

"Luffy," Ace repeated, his tone more forceful this time. "Come here." With a last glare at his blonde brother, Luffy finally followed his request. As soon as he was within reach, Ace drew him into his arms, his mouth finding his left ear.

"You were gone, Luffy," Ace whispered quietly. "We were running across the entire island trying to find you, but you were gone." His right hand trembled against Luffy's skin, his grip tightening a moment after. "We thought we'd lost you."

"Ace …" Luffy started, but he didn't know what he could say that could comfort his brother. He remembered looking for Ace and turning up empty, back on Snowmelt. He remembered holding his brother's battered body in his arms, warm blood coating his fingers. He remembered …

"Cut Sabo some slack, okay?" Ace continued, his voice small. "We'll make sure he doesn't overdo it, but that's just how he deals, you know. He talks shit. Just like I burn stuff. And you …"

"And I stop eating," Luffy muttered. Slowly, he eased out of Ace's hug. "I understand that. I do." He stood up and walked towards the silent stand-off between Franky and Sabo. Without a word, he took his blonde brother's hand and tugged him down to the ground, settling in his lap.

After a few long, tense seconds, he felt Sabo relax slightly, draping his arms around the younger raven. Luffy smiled gently, then grinned up at Francis brightly. "Hey, Franky! You can tell us about this island, right?"

Franky scrutinized the pair for a moment, his expression unreadable, before nodding. "I suppose that I will. On one condition." When Luffy tilted his head questioningly, the cyborg continued, "That you'll take me with you when you leave."

xXx

"I'm telling you. It was him! I saw him!"

"Oh, please, just can it. We've been over this. None of us have a clear memory of what happened that night. It was pure chaos."

"All the bits and pieces we know, though, indicate that it was indeed him. Especially if we take the captain's actions into account. I might not have been there that night; but the captain was. I'd trust his knowledge over vague excuses any day."

"Azure was traumatised. He still won't talk about what happened even with us! I trust our commander as much as any of you, but on this topic, he's unreliable! He's volatile! We cannot rely on his knowledge, especially if he won't share it with us!"

"Trust him as much as any of us – bullshit. You won't even call him captain anymore! He's the one Austin chose to lead us in his stead, not one of those monster brats!"

"Don't you dare –"

"Damn right! They –"

"What are you –"

As the argument escalated, the thin, translucent cloud of smoke moved on.

"Go to sleep, Francis."

"I'm trying."

"Oh, so you're trying to fall asleep standing? Sheesh, I'm sorry for not realising that. It's the most normal thing in the world!"

"It is for Ace. Though I guess he falls asleep when he's eating more often than not."

"That's because my food's the stuff of dreams." A slight pause followed. "For God's sake, stop pacing, Francis, or I'll chop off your legs and feed them to you."

The pacing stopped abruptly, ending in a heavy sigh. "What if they're not back tomorrow?"

"Then we'll go to the next island. Ace has his own log pose, so they'll get there, too. We've discussed this."

"But what if they drowned? We know nothing about the island or whatever it was. Both Ace and Luffy can't swim. What if they were on the island's surface when it sunk?"

"Sabo. Was. With them. He can swim, and he can swim well. He wouldn't have let them drown."

"But what if –"

"Go to sleep before I knock you out."

Smoker lit two cigars and took a deep drag.

Compared to the time he'd spent here so far, it was unusually loud for this time of the night. Of course, that was rather unsurprising if the events of the days were considered.

It was ridiculous. Those three boys were ridiculous. What kind of captain left his crew behind to reach a new island faster? It was so utterly thoughtless Smoker hadn't been able to believe his eyes in the first few seconds after it had happened.

No matter how incredible it was, those three boys were the strongest fighters in a crew that could otherwise only barely be considered ready for the Grand Line. While Smoker was fairly sure that if they were attacked now, they would still be able to survive the battle, they would surely not leave it unscathed.

Not to mention that their hierarchy of command was completely shot now. This was a crew that was used to having three captains – captains that didn't wave their position of power in everyone's faces, true, but they still took responsibility for everything.

Now, this all rested on the shoulders of one man – Francis. And it appeared the man felt ill-prepared to suddenly handle all that responsibility, if the conversation Smoker had just overheard was any indication.

Smoker couldn't really blame him. He certainly wouldn't want to be responsible for this ragtag group of pirates right now, even if they hadn't been criminals. The crew was split. There were so many different people, so many different issues clashing together that Smoker had been surprised for the first few days that this crew even existed.

As always when there was a larger gathering of people, there were groups. Some were still beginning to form, others were long-established. That was not a bad thing in and of itself – it was simply human nature. And as long as there was something holding the separate factions together, it wouldn't harm the crew in the long run.

However, … Tiny flakes of ash crumbled on Smoker's blue pants. Tiredly, he leant back against the railing and looked up at the clouded sky. The ocean stretched out around him, black and ominous, not a single twinkle of light disturbing the shadow of the night.

However, the first unit had just experienced a considerable emotional upheaval. Their commander was out of commission for the very same reason the members were arguing amongst themselves. For however much time they'd spent on the crew in harmony, now, disagreements were frequent.

Smoker, of course, could hardly judge just how much the situation had changed since the events on Snowmelt. He'd only joined the crew three days ago. But maybe it was that unique position as an outsider that allowed him to assess the situation more objectively than any of the others on the ship were doing.

The second unit, the unit he was a part of, was another story entirely. While the first unit was united by their shared history and their tragic past, the second unit lacked that cohesion, lacked true bonds that held them together even in the wildest storms. So it wasn't very surprising that factions were starting to form, no matter how slowly and hesitatingly still.

From what Smoker had managed to figure out during the short time he'd been here, these pirates had joined the crew out of gratitude. They'd been swept up by some grand action the three brothers had performed on their first island, and by the expectations that followed them simply due to Gol D. Roger's reputation. But now, the reality of just what it meant to be a part of the Pirate Prince's crew was starting to catch up to them.

And that was really the crux of the matter. Over the course of only two months, this crew had fought against three Vice-Admirals, even though they were just starting their journey. It should come as no surprise that anyone with a lick of sense and without a distinct and powerful fighting style would start thinking about running in the other direction.

Smoker looked pensively at the sky when a thin waft of cloud allowed the light of the crescent moon to illuminate the ship. It wasn't the first night he'd spent restless on deck. Not that it was exactly a surprise that he felt ill at ease on a pirate ship, even one as unconventional as this one. Still, he was accustomed to fighting the people who were now his crewmates, who he was supposed to trust so implicitly he would have no problem sharing a cabin with them.

What on earth had possessed Luffy to invite him onto the crew? Smoker had pondered that question countless times, had gone even so far to ask the brat directly since he'd made a mission of searching out Smoker during the last few days. _"'Cause you're a good guy,"_ he'd said with that mysteriously broad grin of his, _"and good guys shouldn't work for the bad guys."_

It was statements like these that made Smoker wonder just exactly how much Luffy knew about was going on in the world. To most people, Smoker had just joined the bad guys. However, the former captain knew that not everything in the Marine Corps was as it was supposed to be, and it had been something of a goal of his to steer his fellows back onto the path of justice, no matter how daunting and rocky that path had seemed.

Then again, Luffy was the son of Dragon the Revolutionary. He couldn't help but wonder just how much influence the illusive man had had on the boy's childhood, even if Garp had told him that Dragon had given Luffy to him to raise. But after only a few days on deck, Smoker had honest doubts that there had been no contact between father and son at all.

The mysterious blonde, whose origin and background no doubt still caused no end of headaches in the high echelons of the Marines, was pretty suspect in this area as well. Oh, he'd heard a few stories about Sabo – son of a noble, had apparently met Ace in the slums in front of their town, had been adopted into the family a while later.

Of course, it was possible that the story was true, but Smoker was almost certain there was more to it. It wasn't exactly a secret that the Revolutionary Army recruited people of all ages, and Sabo's very vocal views on nearly every political and societal problem, his commanding attitude as well as the stories of his past actions definitely indicated an extensive education that would not be available to a runaway noble. Not to mention the fact that he managed to keep up with two children of incredible heritage with little to no trouble.

It said a lot about the trio that were his captains that Ace, the one whose history had intrigued Smoker so much he'd ended up jumping ship (albeit reluctantly), actually seemed to be the most normal out of them. In any other crew, he would have been the sensation, but here, Sabo and Luffy presented even bigger mysteries.

There was something weird about all three of the brats. Smoker couldn't quite put his finger on it – they clearly weren't normal, that much anyone could tell by only spending a minute in their presence. No normal kid would be capable of pulling together a variety of people into a pirate crew and succeed at commanding it subsequently.

Smoker reluctantly rose to his feet, determined to at least try to catch up on the sleep he'd missed during the last few nights, even if he wasn't optimistic now that his biggest advocat wasn't here anymore.

It wasn't even their unexplained experience and knowledge of sailing the Grand Line that bugged Smoker so much. Well, yes, it was, but there was also … more to it somehow. It was endlessly frustrating not to be able to pin down the problem with his thoughts, much less words.

If it had just been an experience beyond their age, Smoker would have been able to swallow it somehow. There was an insane world out there, and it wasn't unbelievable that they simply looked younger than they actually were.

But then, there was this mysterious knowledge of the most inane, but very personal details the brats sometimes showed. It was most obvious with Luffy, though he suspected that was because he'd spent the most time in his company so far. _"Hey, Smokey, you know some stuff about engineering, right? 'Cause Ace's having some trouble building his boat. D'you think you could help?"_

That had been his second day on the ship, and maybe his second conversation with the youngest captain. Otherwise, he'd barely spoken a word before, so it was impossible for anyone to have heard about his hobby. So how had Luffy known about it?

Of course, he'd confronted the young raven about it, but in a manner that he'd come to associate with Luffy by now, the boy had laughed it off and switched the subject so smoothly that Smoker only realised what he'd done later. Yet when Luffy promised a few hours later that they'd get him a motorbike on the next island, this really started to bug him.

Smoker unwittingly came to a stop in front of the captains' cabin on his way down. A strange feeling spread in his stomach as he looked at the closed door. He really shouldn't. It wasn't even likely that they kept anything in this cabin that would point towards an answer to the mystery. After all, it was frequently abused for meetings.

On the other hand, who knew when such an opportunity would arise again? Maybe the captains would be back tomorrow already, and it might be a long time until all three would be off the ship for an extended time period again. So, if there was anything worth finding in there, now would be the golden opportunity to take a peek.

The room was dark, but since Smoker's eyes were already well adjusted to the lack of light during this night, it hardly bothered him.

Even though it was his first time seeing his room, he couldn't help the faint, uncharacteristic smile on his lips. The cabin practically screamed into the world that it housed the three insane captains that had turned Smoker's life on its head.

The walls were painted haphazardly in a multitude of colours, though Smoker couldn't make out their exact shade in the darkness. Had they let Luffy loose in here and just let him do what he wanted? However, he was fairly certain that the young raven had had some help, at least, since he probably wouldn't have painted the room this cleanly.

The sofa in one corner of the room looked so comfortable and homey Smoker had to suppress a yawn. A pity his own cabin didn't make him feel as relaxed as this room did. But still, he didn't forget that he had a purpose in coming here.

Feeling slightly guilty, Smoker went to the cupboard next to the bed, but its contents were fairly disappointing and very chaotic. He was honestly surprised the brats weren't running around naked if they were supposed to find their clothes in this mess.

His glance fell on the ornate chest next to the cupboard, his guilt slowly drowned out by curiosity. Still, he hesitated a bit. Fascination, or in many cases downright obsession with treasure was a core characteristic of the stereotypical pirate parents warned their children about. And if there was one thing Smoker certainly didn't want to become, it was a pirate.

Unfortunately, it might be a bit too late to remind himself of that conviction.

Sighing heavily and wishing that he hadn't just smoked his last cigar, Smoker went down on one knee before the chest and tried to open it. Surprisingly, it wasn't even locked.

However, that might be due to the fact that it wasn't filled to the brim with shining gems and mountains of gold, but instead with carefully stacked journals. Intrigued by the obvious care these books were handled with, Smoker took the one on top. There was no title or any indication who'd written it or what it was about, so he simply opened the first page and started reading.

 _Ever since I've first seen the mysterious construction on Skypiea, I haven't been able to eradicate the image from my mind. While Ray says that they depict the true history of the world, something in his voice said that there was more to it than that._

 _It is truly unfortunate that none of our crew are capable of deciphering the strange language that is engraved on them. Even so, I truly hope to once meet the scholars of Ohara on our journey so they, at least, can read the bit of history we've copied down._

 _But Roger seems to be in no hurry to gather those pieces and bring them together. Though that's not particularly surprising – while he is an impressive character, he is hardly what I would describe to be a scholar, even if he has curiosity in abandon._

Smoker took another one of the journals, opening it in the middle this time.

 _The fever is worryingly high. If it doesn't break within the night, I will have to start on one of the more drastic procedures, even if he won't like it. I will not risk the captain's life on his stubborn refusal to take it easy and rest for a couple of days._

The following paragraphs described various symptoms and matching procedures in terms that flew way over Smoker's head. Still, he couldn't deny the excitement he felt as he let his gaze roam over the numerous books in the chest. While it wasn't what he had looked for, stories about one of the most famous men in the world was certainly a worthy find as well.

Despite his once again rekindled interest in the Pirate King, Smoker put the two journals back where they belonged. Maybe he would ask Ace whether he could borrow them at some point later, but there was no use wasting time here, now.

He'd almost closed the chest again when his gaze fell on a new-looking journal in the right stack. It was buried beneath two older books, almost as if to avoid detection. A careless, hurried onlooker would have most likely missed it. Heck, Smoker was one such person, apparently, since he almost hadn't spotted it himself.

Now that he had, though, he quickly drew it from the stack. Leafing through the pages, he noticed that most of them were still empty, only a couple of pages in the middle were filled with a messy black scrawl.

 _What is Raftel? And what is One Piece?_

 _No record from Crocus except castle – why cave? Why doesn't Sabo remember?_

 _Ask Luffy._

 _Fail. Says he won't ruin the surprise. Probably should've seen that coming._

 _Does Luffy remember?_

 _Why a wish? Mounts of treasure and a wish? How to use the wish? How did he know what he could wish and what he couldn't? Devil Fruit?_

 _What about Revolution?_

"What are you doing in here?" Smoker reflexively slipped the book into the pocket of his jacket before he turned his head to look back at the door, his heart racing. His movements were not a second to late. "Where are the captains? What did you do to them?!"

Smoker let his body dissolve into smoke when the blue-haired man's sharp nails started digging into his throat, immobilising him with his Devil Fruit soon after. The man glared at him hatefully as he struggled. "Fucking Marines," he spat, trying and failing to grasp the smoke that kept him contained. "If you've hurt them, I'll …"

Admittedly, Azure's knowledge of creative curses was quite impressive. Smoker raised both eyebrows a fraction as he scrutinized the allegedly stoic first commander, his former cell mate. If the descriptions he'd heard were normally accurate, maybe he'd underestimated the emotional upheaval the first unit was going through.

This man was one to keep an eye on. After all, this wasn't the first time Smoker'd encountered him – the confrontation between Luffy and Azure in the prison of the G-9 would probably be forever burnt into his brain.

It had been staggering to watch Luffy accept his crewmate's goal without batting an eyelash, even if it put a family member into the line of fire. It had unsettled him to watch how torn he was over his decision. It had … impressed him to see how much the small boy cared about the members of his crew.

Maybe that was part of the reason that he'd truly committed to Garp's suggestion. Because, try as he might to deny it, Monkey D. Luffy was inspiring, and it was an experience to follow him. His next words didn't bother him any less for it, though. "I'm not a Marine anymore," he grumbled, keeping his hold on the first commander steady. "I joined the crew a few days ago."

"Yeah right," Azure snapped, a biting tone in his voice. "As if I'd believe a word out of your mouth."

"I don't give a damn what you believe," Smoker replied impatiently. "The brats went to some moving island, don't know when they'll be back. Ask anyone you like, they'll tell you the same thing." At this time of the night, he seriously wasn't interested in this kind of confrontation, so he left the room, keeping the blue-haired man constrained until he was back at his previous spot, leaning against the railing.

Fortunately, it seemed the first commander had decided to heed his advice since he didn't follow the distinct trail of smoke.

Smoker tilted his head back to face the clouded sky, closing his eyes tiredly.

The book in his pocket seemed to weigh a ton.

xXx

"That hit the spot," Ace murmured reluctantly as he swallowed his last bite of deliciously roasted beef. It wasn't that he didn't want to acknowledge the strange island's cook's skills – no, it was the fact that he had to talk quietly and look all broody and grumpy all the time that pissed him off.

Sabo sent him a watery smile in return that only served to deepen Ace's frown. Well, at least he'd stay in character. "Yeah, it was really good," he confirmed with a soft voice. Shyly, he blinked up at the doe-eyed Jemima who'd spent breakfast with the trio. "I-I'm sorry we ate so much," he stuttered guiltily, looking at the pile of plates that Luffy was aiming to build even higher.

"Don't worry about it, kid," Jemima replied magnanimously. "You're still growing – you need to eat your fill." Her gaze moved towards Luffy for a few dumbfounded seconds. "Though I'm still wondering where he puts it all."

"I think he's always been like that," Sabo explained with a light shrug, edging towards Ace to entangle their greasy hands. Though Ace didn't pull away, he did make sure to glare at the woman. If she weren't here, Sabo wouldn't be forced to act like such a wimp.

Unfortunately, she seemed to interpret his expression as protective and veritably cooed at them. At least that was what it felt like to Ace, even if she didn't actually make a sound. "I'll leave you to finish your breakfast in peace," she fortunately announced in response to their cuddling, "so you can have some more time to adjust. If you want, I can send someone later to show you around?"

"Yeah? Can Franky come?" Luffy asked with a full mouth, but miraculously, Jemima managed to understand his little brother's unintelligible words immediately.

"Franky? Are you sure?" Luffy nodded energetically while Sabo tilted his head curiously – a move that was thankfully familiar and not an act – so Jemima elaborated somewhat hesitantly, "It's just … he's not exactly the norm around here, you know? He's a bit of a … rarity, actually." Her tone didn't exactly suggest a positive kind of exotic.

Of course, Luffy immediately had to defend his crewmate. "Franky's awesome!" It was still something of a mystery to Ace where Luffy managed to find characters like the engineer, not to mention finding him twice in two entirely separate locations. If he had a more romantic approach to life, he might have called Franky becoming Luffy's shipwright fate.

"Yeah," Jemima reluctantly agreed, though it only appeared to serve as an appeasement, "he does have some … unique qualities." She sighed. "But I suppose if you feel more comfortable with him, I can go see if he has the time."

Finally, after accepting loud cheering from Luffy and a small smile from Sabo, the dark-haired engineer stepped out, shutting the heavy door behind her. Sabo started banging his head against Ace's shoulder. "I feel you," Ace muttered, closing his eyes exasperatedly.

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy laughed when he'd finished the last piece of chicken on the table. "You're both so funny!"

Sadly, Luffy had long since become immune to any sort of hostile attention, so he cheerfully continued munching on a piece of honeydew melon when his brothers simultaneously glared at him. "Shut up," Ace growled, barely refraining from reaching out to strangle the younger raven. "Just. Shut up. This is so unfair."

"No, it isn't," Luffy insisted, nodding in what Ace feared was supposed to be a sage manner. The day Luffy would start acting wise was the day the world came to its comical end. "I'm a kid. I don't know anything about inspiration."

Furrowing his brow in confusion, Ace wondered if he should punch his frighteningly inspiring brother now or later. "You mean infiltration, Luffy," Sabo amended. "And that's a lie."

Once again, Luffy laughed. Ace got the feeling that there was a story he hadn't been told yet. "I still suck at it, though," he admitted, starting to lick one of the empty plates clean.

"Language," Ace chided good-naturedly, sending Luffy an amused grin after he'd yawned tiredly. Now, if only he didn't have to wear a shirt, this morning would be perfect. Even if he'd somewhat gotten used to it again during his second childhood, now that he had his Devil Fruit powers again, he felt less and less desire to put up with unnecessary layers of clothing. "Can I have my hand back?" he asked Sabo, though, instead of complaining.

"Nope," Sabo informed him stubbornly, his head still propped up on Ace's shoulder. "I still need it as a hostage."

"Excuse me?" Ace immediately asked incredulously, feeling somewhat wary as to what exactly Sabo was up to now.

"I said, I need it as …" The following words blurred together to an amalgam of strange sounds. Ace blinked slowly, trying to concentrate hard, even though he knew it was futile. A few seconds later, his head fell forward, and darkness engulfed him.

…

An indeterminate amount of time later, he woke up on a soft, fluffy surface, entangled in limbs that didn't belong to him and noisy snoring that was as familiar to him as his fire. "That was pretty careless of you, falling asleep in a hostage situation," a voice to his right commented.

Ace glared at Sabo, his momentary confusion over the change in position dissipated. "What. Precisely. Are you talking about?" Ace asked frigidly, his expression turning incredulous when he looked at his captured hand. "What," he deadpanned. He was slowly losing faith in his brother's sanity. "Just – what, Sabo."

Sabo pouted. "You would've tried to escape the 'Ace needs a hug' session otherwise," he defended himself. Sometimes, Ace really hated his narcolepsy, but he was decidedly too lazy to take pills every day, or, God forbid, nap at regular intervals. Napping was for pansies.

However, it did mean that his brothers had decided that his indisposition meant he was a perfect pranking victim. "So, you shackled me with seastone. Seriously," he remarked disbelievingly. "And what do you mean I need a hug? I don't need a hug! I'm fine!" It might have been a bit more believable if he hadn't said that through gritted teeth.

If Ace hadn't seen the mirth dancing across Sabo's eyes, his blonde brother would have looked genuinely worried as he patted Ace's hand which was bound to his own. "You're grumpy and moody all the time, and you don't talk much," he noted matter-of-factly. "It's okay, Ace. You can let it all out."

Ace's left eye twitched. "It's my character, you dumbass!" he bellowed. How could he ever have thought that Luffy was annoying? Sabo was insufferable.

As if he'd heard his complimentary thoughts, Luffy yawned heartily, snuggling into Ace's chest. "Why are you shouting, Ace? I had such a nice dream," he complained drowsily.

Luffy was something of a phenomenon when it came to sleeping. While he didn't have narcolepsy, exactly, he could have a narcoleptic fit like the best of them. However, strangely enough, he only had them when another narcoleptic (that is, Ace or Garp) was present. Luffy unsurprisingly called them mystery naps. "I'm sorry, Lu," Ace murmured softly when a devilish thought crossed his mind. "What did you dream about?"

"Meat!" Luffy announced predictably, veritably drooling as he described the extravagant feast he'd just participated in in his dream. "I'm huuungry," he finally moaned, pouting adorably.

Hugging his little brother with his free, unshackled hand, Ace agreed whole-heartedly, "Yeah, I could use some meat, too! Let's go look for the kitchen!"

"But you just ate," Sabo protested, keeping Ace firmly attached to the bed with their connected hands while also grabbing Luffy's arm.

"Did you hear something?" Ace asked innocently, feigning confusion.

Luffy blinked at him owlishly, before replying with childlike naïveté, "Sabo said that we just ate. But it must've been hours ago!"

As if Luffy'd pushed a button, Ace's expression turned pensive. "What's a Sabo? Sounds like a dumbass," he remarked, expertly ignoring the blonde's simultaneous protest that they'd had breakfast half an hour ago.

It filled Ace with pride that Luffy only looked confused for a second, before nodding in agreement. When it came to pranking, Luffy could be downright quick on the uptake. "It is. But every ship needs its dumbass, and Sabo's brilliant at it."

"Oi!" Sabo complained futily.

Ace nodded sagely. "Only the best for the Pirate King." Instantly, he was rewarded with a brilliant grin from his little brother. "You'll have to introduce me to that Sabo sometime." He paused pensively for a second, a terrified expression settling on his face. "On second thought, don't. I wouldn't want to catch the idiocy."

"Don't you mean the dumbassity?" Luffy suggested, thinking hard.

"Okay, fine! Fine! I'll unshackle you!" Sabo shouted, fumbling with the key. "Just stop ignoring me, bastards," he cursed.

Ace held up his freed hand with a victorious smile, fist bumping Luffy with his other hand. 546:37. For Sabo, and only when it came to verbal combat, but whatever. That meant every single win counted.

"You guys are just pure comedy, aren't you?" Franky commented, having followed the spectacle for the last few minutes from the doorway. After Sabo's attitude from yesterday, this scene had to seem downright surreal to the cyborg.

"Franky!" Ace was not jealous. It did not bother him at all that Luffy immediately abandoned the bed to attach himself to his former crewmate's shoulders. Franky was one of Luffy's nakama. That meant he had just as much right to Luffy's hugs, smiles and energy as Ace and Sabo did, if not more. Even if he wasn't aware of it. "Join my crew!" Luffy immediately sang.

"AOW! It's super flattering that you want me to join, Strawhat-bro," Franky replied, his voice ranging from exhilarated to serious at the end. "But I can't. I know I'm asking a huge favour of you, but I have my reasons why I need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"That's okay," Luffy surprisingly conceded. "We're going to take you wherever you need to go and help you do whatever you need to do. At the end of it, you're going to love us!" Or not. Ace snickered at Franky's dumbfounded look. It would certainly be interesting to have one of Luffy's original crewmembers on their ship.

Still, as much as Ace loved seeing people's first reactions to his little brother's unique brand of stubbornness, he decided to give Franky a break. Mostly because they had some planning to do. "While we're on the topic – how exactly are we going to get out of here? There's gotta be a supply ship or something similar we could seize, right?"

"There are a few submarines, but it's not going to be that easy," Franky said, closing the door quickly. "The whole island is under surveillance. I took it down in your room yesterday, but it's not going to take long until that's noticed."

"Surveillance? Seriously?" Sabo complained, sitting up in the bed at last. "What is this, a Marine base?"

"No, just an island full of engineers that get creative ideas which blow up said island," Franky deadpanned. "It's a necessary security measure. But since that's the reason why it's been installed, we might actually be able to use that to our advantage."

"Nobody's going to expect that we're going to try and break out?" Ace asked a bit sceptically. "That's hard to believe if what you've said yesterday is true."

"I've only seen it happen once so far," Franky shrugged helplessly, jostling Luffy on his shoulders. Pouting, the younger raven hopped down and sat down cross-legged on the bed. "A Marine got stranded here, and he got very excited about telling his superiors about the impressive technology he'd discovered. When Jemima was done with him, he couldn't even form a coherent sentence."

"But we're not gonna tell anyone about this place," Luffy protested with a frown. "Jemmy's nice. We wouldn't do anything that'd put her in danger!"

"You just think she's nice because you haven't gotten on her bad side yet," Franky muttered. "If she finds out you're pirates yourselves, not victims, she's gonna do a 180. Especially since …" He pointedly looked at Ace but didn't finish his sentence.

So Ace did it for him. "Yeah, I figured Roger wouldn't be the most popular person around here. He never is." Once, these words might have been bitter thoughts, but now, he could actually say this with a roll of his eyes.

Even if his heart clenched in fear when he thought of the near future. They desperately needed to get going. They had to get out of Paradise, into the New World where they'd hopefully get some cover from Shanks and Oyaji. The longer they spent in the first half of the Grand Line where the Marines were so well established, the risikier it became for their crew.

Ace was both excited about and dreaded the arrival of their new bounties. Garp might downplay their encounter in front of Sengoku, but Strawberry was even less likely to do the same. And when they realised that Vice-Admirals weren't enough to keep them down … They really needed to get back to their crew.

"You never met him, did you?" Franky asked curiously, his voice hesitant. "I've always wanted to meet him."

Ace snorted. "Then you're one of very few people," he muttered, before continuing, "I'm fourteen. Roger was dead for more than a year when my mother couldn't prolong my birth any longer." The cyborg looked slightly confused, but Ace didn't exactly feel like explaining this more. "So, no. I never met him. But I've heard a few stories from the shitty old geezer and a crewmate of his."

"Anyways, about that submarine," Sabo quickly switched the subject. "When would be the best opportunity to take it? We all want to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, so we have to time this right."

Franky eyed Sabo somewhat warily, but Ace couldn't exactly blame him after the blonde's outburst yesterday. "We have five submarines," the cyborg finally replied. "Three of them are currently out scouting since we're expecting to hit an island soon to restock. One's being repaired, and one's being kept in reserve in case there's an emergency."

"So, I'm guessing we wait since we shouldn't take the emergency boat," Sabo commented, crossing his arms with a frown on his face. "One ship for … how many people are on this island again?" Ace's right forearm started itching a bit, but he resolutely resisted the urge to scratch.

"Five hundred, give or take, I've never counted them," Franky shrugged. "It's not like they're very likely to need it. If the engines fail, the island's just going to float back to the surface."

"But …" Ace started incredulously. "It's made of rock, right? It should sink like a rock."

"The engines aren't there to keep the island from sinking to the bottom of the sea," Franky explained. "They're there to keep it submerged. From what I've pieced together, the last generation of engineers sunk it to hide it from outsiders."

Flipping his sunglasses down, the cyborg paused briefly before continuing, "Anyways, how about I give you that tour of Gem island now? We're gonna have to wait a couple of days until we get out of here, so we can talk about this more, later." He smirked amusedly. "Besides, I bet you want at least some part of your arm to still resemble an arm, right?"

"Eh?" Ace asked confusedly, following Franky's presumed line of sight and immediately wishing he hadn't. "Luffy!" Swiftly, he ripped the black pen from Luffy's hand, looking at the doodles upon doodles upon doodles Luffy'd drawn on his right forearm in horror. "You brat! Where did you get this? I told you to stop drawing on me!"

"You told me not to draw on you when you're asleep," Luffy commented wisely, but quickly started sweating when Ace's demanding glare grew fiercer. Whistling innocently, the younger raven decidedly did not look at Sabo.

Ace's glare turned murderous when he looked at Sabo, whose eyes grew wide. "Oi! I didn't!" he immediately defended himself, raising his hands in innocence. Ace didn't buy it for a second. "Luffy, tell him I didn't! I'd never!"

However, Luffy didn't say anything in Sabo's defence – not that it would have been very believable with his infamously non-existent talent for lying – so Ace was quickly on Sabo's case. With a flaming hand far too close to the blonde's face. "Sabo," he growled threateningly, the fire illuminating his face eerily, "what did we say about enabling Luffy?"

"Luffy! You little …" Sabo yelled, getting cut off by Ace's fire as he quickly had to fall back. "I didn't, Ace, I swear!" he once again tried. Ace's flames only grew to surround the atrocious black squiggles, burning them from existence.

While he was busy barbecueing Sabo, he completely missed Luffy giving Franky a high five.

xXx

Law loved lunch. Some people might be surprised to hear this, but since joining the Devilspawn pirates, it was his favourite time of the day instead of the deep, dark hours of the night or the few blessed minutes of sleep his insomnia granted him.

No, it was lunch, and not only because the food onboard the Tigris was excellent. It was also the time of the day he always, without fail, spent with Bepo, while the majority of their day was spent apart. While Bepo helped with the navigation and improved his skills in his chosen craft, Law tended to sit in the infirmary and bug the shit out of a certain doctor.

Sometimes, he also read a good book about vivisection.

"Amy sure knows how to make nice, juicy fish," Bepo currently gushed, savouring his lunch slowly. Law nodded his agreement, though he enjoyed virtually any dish the cooks put onto the table, as long as it wasn't pizza. That was far too closely related to bread.

"Bepo!" Goode whined between to bites. "Are you saying my fish doesn't taste better? I'm at least as good a cook as Amy! Say it!" He gestured with his fork, nearly taking out Bepo's eye in the process.

"I'm sorry." Bepo dropped his head slightly but didn't bother to stop eating. Much to Law's amusement and Goode's chagrin, he also didn't follow the cook's instructions. In his despair, he threw his hands into the air, nearly poking Law with his fork.

"Cook-ya," Law drawled, his voice dangerously low. "Please put down your fork." Piercing a potato, he raised his own piece of cutlery and smiled at Goode with sadistic glee. "Or I'll demonstrate just how good I am with a knife."

Unfortunately, Goode failed to perceive the seriousness of his threat. "But I haven't finished eating yet! I still need it!" Law might have been generous enough to tolerate this argument if the cook had gone through with his announcement and proceeded to eat his fucking food. But no, he just had to wave his fork in front of Law's face again.

As such, Law didn't feel a shred of guilt when he used his steak knife to cut off the offending limb from the rest of its annoying body. "Anyone still hungry?" he asked, offering the severed hand to his crewmates at the table. For some reason, they were quick to finish their meals and leave.

"Oi! Gimme back my hand!" Goode complained, trying to reach Law's hostage with his remaining hand. It seemed he was completely unfazed by the fact he'd just essentially lost a limb. Was it strange that he felt frustrated his ability was losing its shock factor?

Then, he remembered the fleeing pirates and felt a little bit better. Goode was just crazy.

"Watch it," Law chided, leaning back to avoid getting slapped by the cook. "Or you'll lose the other one, too." He threateningly held up the knife in one hand, Goode's hand with its fork in the other. In response, the cook managed to pull off an expression between a pout and a glare, which looked exactly as weird as it sounded. The extended middle finger on Law's hostage said more than a thousand words, though. "Rude," Law commented and continued eating with his knife.

"I think you should give it back, Law," Bepo advised with a calm voice. Law peered at his best friend questioningly. It was, of course, possible that he wanted to keep the peace on the ship … "The skin looks really tough, and what little meat there is looks a bit stringy. I doubt it would taste good." … or he was just the best friend ever and wanted to mess with the cook as well. Bepo was great.

"Hey! My hand has feelings, too!" Goode complaining, shovelling his food into his mouth with his remaining hand whilst crying crocodile tears.

"I'm sorry," Bepo immediately amended, bowing in Law's direction, or more precisely, in the direction of Goode's lost limb. After a few seconds of consideration, Law decided not to comment on the absurdity of that action.

Instead, he chose to address a far more distressing issue. "You want your hand to be eaten?" he asked incredulously.

"No." Goode shook his head exasperatedly, before smirking evilly. Law suddenly got a very bad feeling about this. "No, my hand's," he said lowly, his scars adding eerie shadows to face, "gonna eat your face!" he suddenly shouted. At the same time, Law's hostage suddenly turned on him, dropping its fork to lunge at the surgeon's face.

Contrary to later witness reports, Law did not screech. He merely couldn't suppress a manly shout of surprise when he fell backwards off the bench.

"Ah, that was a great lunch!" Goode announced when he dragged Law out on deck later, his arm thrown comradely around the surgeon's shoulder.

Law hadn't lost his frown during the last few minutes since his fall. "Go die," he grumbled, trying to break free from the cook's hold. Unfortunately, Goode's grip was quite impressive, so no matter how Law struggled, he couldn't put up much resistance against the forced training session Goode had announced. Maybe he shouldn't have reattached the idiot's limb.

"Aw, come on, don't be like that," Goode whined, his expression turning downcast. "It's been ages since lunch was as lively as that." At those thoughtless words of his, the cook downright turned into a depressing pile of misery. A useless lump of flesh and bones that Law now had to drag up the stairs. Why on earth did it have to be a moody idiot today?

"Oh, please," Law sighed with a roll of his eyes. "The captains are fine. They're strong and capable fighters, and they've," he hesitated, before correcting himself, "well, Sabo's got a good head on his shoulders. They're going to meet up with us on the next island."

The cook's mood didn't turn any better. Mercilessly, Law dropped him on the wooden planks after they'd reached the top of the stairs. He rubbed his temples tiredly. "Besides, it's been two lunches since Luffy's gone. Two, not ages, you senile old man."

The tension on the ship was killing him. He certainly hadn't signed up to play a part in this tragedy, but everybody on the ship was affected by the missing captains. Francis was close to burnt out with worry, Goode switched from his usual cheerful self to … this, Finn had once again taken his training up two notches, Beckett had a ridiculous short fuse … though that wasn't exactly new, and maybe Law had been a bit more aggravating than usual. Even he wasn't perfect.

His headache intensified. On days like these, he couldn't comprehend why he would have ever made the decision to become a captain himself, even if Luffy's rare stories were proof otherwise. Still, he couldn't imagine constantly being responsible for boosting the crew's morale.

Yet, sadly enough, as a doctor, he felt responsible for the crew's mental well-being as well. Law sighed while taking off his backpack, rummaging through his supplies until he found a tiny pill that brought a smirk to his face. "Here, take this, Cook-ya," he suggested, quickly schooling his features when Goode looked up suspiciously.

Still, the swordsman took the pill into his palm, eyeing it warily. "What is it?"

"It makes people happy," Law replied, hoping that he'd managed to keep a straight face. "I don't hand these out like candies, but you look like you need a bit cheering up."

"So, it's like an antidepressant?" Goode asked, his expression outraged. "I'm not depressed! I've got a perfectly sunny disposition!"

"No, no," Law immediately denied, shaking his hands a bit frantically. For a second, he was tempted to question Goode's sunny character since it seemed more bipolar to him, but in the end, he decided that it would only be counter-productive. "Nothing like that. It's just going to help you relax," he lied with a completely straight face.

Goode still looked disappointingly sceptical, so Law decided to pull out all stops. "You don't trust your doctor? That's pretty discouraging," he remarked, hoping he sounded as sad as he didn't feel.

Somehow, this only made the cook more suspicious. "Since when do you need encouragement?" he asked dubiously, poking the pill with his index finger. "And, for that matter, since when have you ever tried to be helpful?"

Mission 'Look innocent' unfortunately turned out to be a failure. Abort. Before Goode could as much as blink, Law slapped the cook's hand against his mouth, forcing the idiot to swallow the pill in his shock. "Thanks for your cooperation," Law said with a smirk before getting the hell out of dodge.

After a merry chase across the ship, Law managed to shake the cook for a while and calmly shut the door behind him, a bit out of breath. Finn raised his eyebrows at his sudden intrusion but didn't stop his one-armed push-ups. After all, this was hardly the first time Law had made himself at home in the second commander's room.

Sitting down cross-legged, leaning against a wall, the surgeon pulled out a book and started leafing through it until he found his bookmark. "I'm missing a book on anatomy. You seen it around somewhere?" Law asked absent-mindedly as he skimmed the page for the right line.

"I don't …" Finn heaved, his face red with exertion, "particularly … care." He finally finished with his last push-up, breathing heavily on the floor.

"You should," Law chided, flipping a page. "You know," he continued, smirking gleefully at his fellow teenager, "I might one day hold your life in my hands. Then, you're gonna wish you'd helped me study more."

Finn groaned and rolled onto his back. "Geez, what's with your good mood? It's creepy," he moaned, his voice still a bit strained.

"I just did my good deed of the day," Law replied innocently.

"Oh, no," Finn complained. "Who did you bury?"

Law felt slightly offended that the people on this ship had so little faith in his wonderful character. Then, he heard the sound of heavy boots pounding against wooden planks and instantly remembered why that was actually justified.

Quickly, he rolled underneath the bed. "I was never here," he hissed, pressing his back against the wall, his book tucked away safely against his chest.

As he laid there under the bed, hiding from the retribution of an overly paranoid cook, trying his best to breathe evenly and not to start snickering, he wondered how his previously awful life on the run had turned into this. Though wondering was maybe not the right term – he knew how his life had changed. Miraculously enough, he'd met his King of the pirates, and reaped whatever he'd sown in a different future.

But the fact that it wasn't a mystery to him didn't lessen the feelings of joy, of light-heartedness, of downright giddiness any bit. He couldn't describe how wonderful it was to hide not out of fear of being captured, but because he wanted to avoid retribution from a prank he'd pulled. Law'd never pulled pranks before, not even when he was an oblivious child living happily with his family.

This was freedom. Never before had Law truly felt this free, this free of his own sorrows, this free of the terrors of this world. He'd almost given it up again, but it was during moments like these that he was relieved he'd chosen to put his trust into Luffy, to have faith that everything would work out. It was an optimism that had been foreign to Law for so long.

"Where is he?" The door was ripped open and the heavy boots from before entered the room. Law pressed even closer against the wall, a genuine smile still on his face.

He heard Finn heave another breath, before moving to sit up. "Who?" he asked perfectly innocently, turning around to face the door instead of his bed. There was a brief second of silence. And then, Finn was suddenly snorting with laughter.

Law's smile broadened into a wide grin. It seemed his medicine was already showing its effects. Not very surprising, considering that he'd cooked it to be extra potent. It was a bit disappointing to give it to Goode instead of Ace, who he'd originally intended to use it on, but it seemed the results were spectacular in any case.

"What?" Goode shouted irritatedly, prompting another round of uproarious laughter from the second commander. Oh, Law would give almost anything to see the cook's face right now if this was Finn's reaction. "What is it? Got something on my face?"

Finn seemed to almost choke as he tried to control himself, managing only two clipped words in confirmation before he once again roared with laughter. "Your … face …"

The sound of Goode's boots was mostly drowned out by Finn this time, but Law presumed that the cook was looking for a mirror. He gulped when he heard him draw one of his swords. Well, it was a reasonable move considering that Finn didn't have a mirror in his room. "That …" he heard Goode mutter disbelievingly. "That brat! I'm gonna murder him!"

And with that shout of revenge, the cook ran out of the room.

Law rolled out from under the bed, looking at the second commander expectantly. "So?" he asked eagerly.

In the time Law had spent hiding, Finn's face had astoundingly gained an even more deeply red shade. Were it not for the circumstances, Law would have to start treating him for high blood pressure. His shoulders shaking, Finn pointed at his eyebrows, snickering the whole time.

"Huh," Law remarked, scratching his cheek. "I would've expected him to grow a beard first, but I guess a monobrow's even better."

Suddenly, something made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. "Knew it," a dreaded voice announced from the doorframe, accompanied by a very terrifying frown on the cook's face.

Law couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing.

"Oh, come on," he snickered even though Goode had started dragging him outside by the collar of his shirt. "It's …" Unfortunately, he caught another look of the cook's face and couldn't resist laughing. "It's not that bad! It could be a lot worse!"

"I'll show you worse," Goode growled.

"Eh?" Law asked, confused by the non-sensical comeback. But it seemed Goode had either completely lost his mind, his composure, his patience, all three of them or he simply didn't feel like explaining himself to Law.

A second later, the young surgeon lost all interest in pondering the possible meanings of Goode's statement as his mind was far more occupied with the fact that he couldn't fly, that he was feeling the effects of gravity far too clearly and that the soft, gentle waves that always seemed to offer him freedom didn't look anywhere near as welcoming when he was approaching them face forward.

Far too soon, he sank into the shockingly cold depths, his limbs about as useful as stone in fighting against the currents. That had been such an overreaction. A little bit of additional hair growth hardly warranted an attempted assassination, right?

Thankfully, before Law's brain activity completely shut down, an arm wrapped around his waist and dragged him back to the surface. Law valiantly tried and failed not to look pathetic whilst coughing up the copious amounts of errant water that had made its way down his trachea.

Goode's gleeful expression when Francis dragged Law back on deck was totally worth it, though. Not because of the gleefulness, of course, but because … Law burst out laughing again once he had enough air in his lungs. "You should probably shave," Francis remarked drily.

The cook touched his now stubbly chin with a twitching eye, before addressing his best friend, "Help me hide the body?"

"Always," Francis replied instantly without batting an eyelid. "But maybe you should try to get an antidote first."

Law started sweating slightly even though his skin was still wet with salty sea water. "Come on," he tried, waving his hands innocently, "it's just a little prank! Nothing to get upset about, right? It's gonna wear off in two to three days, anyways!" He carefully neglected to mention that this drug was still experimental, and that there was no antidote.

"Two to three days?!" Goode downright screeched, his expression murderous.

"I'm sure nobody's going to notice the difference," Francis said with a completely straight face. Just about everyone on deck looked at him incredulously until he finished his statement, "As long as you don't leave your bed."

Law couldn't help but start snickering again, but he didn't feel that bad about it since he was hardly the only one on deck. For some reason, Goode seemed to take particular offense with him, though.

The dangerous glint in Goode's eyes as he once again stepped closer to Law was slightly worrisome. Unconsciously, the surgeon took a step back only to feel the railing dig into his back. The cook's dark expression grew sickeningly satisfied. "Before this gets more unpleasant," he offered lowly, a dangerous smirk on his face, "you're going to do your job as a doctor and treat that affliction I've mysteriously come down with. Won't you."

A cold sweat broke out on Law's forehead. Since he didn't have an antidote, he could either own up to that fact (a very bad idea if Goode's expression was any indication) or give him something else that might make it worse. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to go ahead with the second option, he could hardly say whether another drug would interact with the original one in a potentially painful way, so his doctor's conscience would hardly let him take that risk.

"Funny story, that," Law stuttered. "You know, I haven't actually invented an antidote yet."

Somehow, he wasn't surprised when he once again hit the surface with a wet splash.

xXx

"Achoo!"

The man sniffled pathetically, rubbing his nose with his left hand. "Tissue," he barked a second later, the woman sitting on his right complying immediately. The room remained completely silent as he noisily blew his nose.

"Maybe you should take a shower again," the woman scolded.

However, the man chose not to react to her statement beyond a poisonous glare that didn't faze the woman in the slightest. Instead, he chose to address the assembly around him. "So, he's with the Devilspawn? You're certain?"

"Yes," an unremarkable man further down the table replied, his posture stiff and his voice completely flat. "He was spotted at the G-9 during the battle and seen leaving with the pirates afterwards."

"Well," the first man drawled, clearing his throat afterwards. "What a fortunate coincidence. In one sweep, we will finish our job, get our revenge, recruit new comrades and acquire prestige." The eerie grin on his face was tinged with satisfaction. "What are you waiting for? Get ready to move out!"

xXx

Sabo put a hand against the cool, smooth rock and looked out into the depths of the ocean with never-ending wonder. Of course, considering that they were quite far beneath the surface, he wouldn't have been able to see anything if not for the glowing rocks spread all across the island.

Gem island had certainly earned its name. During the last few days, Sabo had shyly asked his way around and gathered small snippets and anecdotes to at least form the beginning of a cohesive picture of the island's past, while Ace and Luffy had surprisingly mostly kept to themselves.

However, if he really considered their situation, their actions really were to be expected. Luffy was ecstatic about having found one of his nakama, a nakama he could actually recruit already unlike Nami, who'd still been far too young to hold her own in the New World. As such, it was understandable that Luffy wanted to spend as much time as he could with Franky, likely trying to annoy the cyborg into joining the crew despite whatever other plans he'd been talking about.

And Ace, of course, was sulking. When was Ace not sulking? Sometimes, Sabo almost found himself missing their original childhood when Ace hadn't been as in tune with his emotions and just generally acted like a grumpy brat all the time. At least then, he hadn't had to worry so much about the raven's sensitivities since he'd basically acted the same regardless of what was going on. What did he even have to be sensitive about? It was not like he was the one the Marines had dismissed as small fry despite his excellent physical condition, his outrageously good looks and his unforgettable charisma.

Alright, so maybe Sabo was still slightly sore about Ace's high bounty, especially since the raven hadn't done anything to earn it. Sabo was the one who'd fought against a Vice-Admiral (multiple Vice-Admirals now, actually) and he was the one who'd blown a Marine ship to bits. Without the aid of a Devil Fruit, one might add.

What had Ace accomplished in comparison? Oh, he had the destruction of Marine property on his list, but it honestly wasn't that difficult to destroy the execution platform in Loguetown. Sabo didn't want to know how many times they'd rebuilt the bloody thing. Other than that, he'd fallen asleep near a Marine base and gotten captured without a fight, he'd escaped from captivity only with the assistance of their crew, and he'd been knocked out at the beginning of their last fight, which Sabo still didn't have any regrets about. Oh, and of course – he was the son of the Pirate King.

And the worst thing was that Sabo couldn't even seriously complain to his brothers because he knew Ace hated living off his father's name. He knew that Ace was hungering for action just as much as he was, even though they both knew it was foolish to wish for trouble.

Why did his parents have to be no-good nobles instead of some old kick-ass legend?

"Flam," a soft voice shook him out of his deeply frustrating thoughts, a light pressure on his shoulder when Sabo didn't turn around immediately. Once he did, though, he looked into understanding brown eyes hidden beneath thin glasses. "You zoned out. Is everything alright?"

"S-sorry," Sabo stuttered, looking away shyly. "I was really listening to you, I really was," he started, swallowing the bile rising in his throat. Oh, he couldn't believe he was going to do this. "B-but I was … I was just thinking about my parents."

Sabo really blessed the many years he had worked for the Revolutionary Army, or he would have never been able to fake sadness when talking about his parents. "Were the pirates blackmailing them? Do they know what happened to you?"

Biting his lower lip to avoid grimacing, Sabo pondered where he was supposed to take this. Roy was socially fairly adept, so he probably shouldn't spin too elaborate a lie or he'd start picking apart the holes in their stories. As such, he likely couldn't sell Ace and Luffy as his biological brothers, no matter how much it might have facilitated their eventual departure.

It would probably be best if he stuck with their true story as closely as possible, leaving out the parts about them being pirates, of course. But if he sold Ace and Luffy as orphans and made a convincing case why they should be returned to his parents, they might not actually have to go through all the trouble of stealing a boat under the watchful eyes of the residents of Gem island.

Unfortunately, that meant they'd have to leave Franky in the lurch, and Sabo knew Luffy would never go along with that. But still, generating good will couldn't hurt either way. "I guess," he finally said replied weakly. "They didn't tell us what they were planning to do with us, but my parents have money. They wouldn't have just left me." Although, if Sabo had really been captured by pirates and his parents had tried to get him back, he'd have probably begged his captors to hide him.

He tapped his index finger against the translucent rock that offered a glorious view of the ocean's grandeur. "But Luffy and Tom don't really have parents, I think. And w-we're in the Grand Line, s-so maybe they were just …" Sabo let his words trail into silence, his hands shaking. It was not like Roy had to know it was out of anger instead of fear. "M-maybe they were just planning to sell us," he said almost inaudibly, his words rushed.

Roy put an arm around Sabo's shoulders and gently guided him back to the couch the older man had been sitting on before, tinkering with some kind of device that went over Sabo's head. Though the blonde usually wasn't a fan of comforting touches like that unless it was from someone he truly trusted, he found that he somehow didn't mind Roy's fussing.

The man had seemed utterly unremarkable when Jemima, that bullheaded, occasionally rude but well-meaning woman, had introduced him as her husband. But the two complimented each other extremely well, with Roy adding the fine details and finishing touches to the plans and ideas Jemima loudly proclaimed.

"Don't worry about anything like that anymore," he murmured comfortingly, rubbing sooting circles onto the blonde's back. "You can stay here as long as you like. Nobody can touch you while you're on this island. I promise."

Sabo's breath hitched as if he was trying to suppress a desperate sob. "Th-thank you," he replied with a shaky voice, leaning into the touch as if his life depended on it. "We're g-grateful. We really are," he tacked on after a suitable amount of tear-filled silence. Geez, after this stint, he wouldn't have any tears left for a long time. It was about high time they stopped beating around the bush and got out of here.

"B-but …" he continued, tying his fingers into veritable knots in his lap. "We heard that you were gonna stop at an island soon. So, we –"

Roy interrupted him before he could even properly start his second sentence. "I meant what I said, Flam. You can stay as long as you want. Nobody is going to force you to leave." After Franky's tales, that wasn't exactly what Sabo was worried about. And he was really starting to get sick of that new name of his.

"I know that," he said, hoping his impatience didn't show too prominently in his voice. "But it's just …" he trailed off, realising that simply informing Roy of his decision would hardly work out. It seemed he'd have to make another emotional appeal. Sometimes, he wondered why he didn't just choose Luffy's approach and beat up everything that got into his way.

"It's just …" he started again, looking at Roy with a sad smile on his face. "Luffy wakes up every night from nightmares. We can hardly convince him to go to sleep anymore because he's so scared." Of course, when Luffy rarely really had nightmares, he was fairly easily calmed and comforted by tight hugs and soft assurances. But Roy didn't need to know that.

"And Tom gets tense the instant either of us leaves his sight," he decided to add, knowing it probably wouldn't be long for Ace to indeed check up on him. "After what happened to us, h-he's really uncomfortable here in all the small spaces. I know he wants to see the sky again, feel the wind on his skin, you know, to really feel that we're free again."

Roy remained quiet when Sabo paused to give him the opportunity to speak up, his expression blank but serious. Sabo worried his lower lip. Time to reveal their plans, then. "S-so, we were thinking about leaving on the next island," he admitted. "Tom's strong, and I … I'll do my best to support him. We can take care of ourselves."

Their converstation was unfortunately interrupted when the door to the observation deck opened, revealing a spiky-haired, blonde man Sabo hadn't seen before. Roy nodded at him when the man motioned for him to join him, shortly turning back to Sabo. "Don't worry about this too much now, okay? You've been through an ordeal. Stay here for a while longer to recuperate in safety, and I'm sure the nightmares will go away."

Sabo grimaced behind Roy's back when the older man stood up and leisurely walked away to join the newcomer, who started talking rapidly and quietly. It seemed Franky had been right. Roy, one of the most affable people he'd met on Gem island, had none too subtly advised him to banish the thought of leaving from his mind.

It naturally could be that Sabo was reading too much into his statements with the information that Franky'd provided. Still, the cyborg had been here for almost two years, and he was one of Luffy's trusted nakama. If he said that in all of his time here, nobody had left this island behind mentally intact, then Sabo was inclined to believe him.

Especially since Franky had petitioned to leave himself not too long ago. Apparently, they still hadn't officially rejected his request, but simply postponed the decision indefinitely as if they were hoping their fellow engineer would come to his senses eventually.

However, Sabo certainly wouldn't be talked into staying no matter how long they evaded the subject, and he didn't need to talk to them to know that Ace and Luffy were of the same mind. As if they could ever stay on such an insular island like this one. Not to mention that their little secret could be exposed very easily if the residents of Gem island got their hands on the three brothers' (hopefully now more impressive) bounty posters.

Sabo sighed and buried himself into the couch, letting his gaze wander over the endless blue waves that surrounded him. This situation was simply so frustrating. All the waiting around for the submarines to return, all the polite inquiries to determine whether they would even be allowed to leave the island. It made Sabo want to scream. He hated being dependent on other people's choices.

He closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them again, trying to enjoy the spectacular view in front of him. When Franky had first shown them around the island, all three brothers had been dumbstruck when they'd entered this room at the end of the tour.

While the rest of Gem island wasn't terribly remarkable aside from the fact that it was a moving, waterproof cross between a submarine and an actual island, this room at the bottom of the strange construction was extraordinary. It was made entirely of a strange, translucent rock that gave the people in this room the impression of standing in the middle of the ocean.

When the island wasn't moving like it was now, a few daring fish approached the mysterious surface, bobbing against the stone with astonished confusion. Was this what it felt like to be a fishman? A soft smile spread on Sabo's face just as Ace plopped down next to him. It was an indescribable feeling to be a part of this wondrous underworld, to have the calm and the life of the ocean surround him and remind him why he had fallen in love with the sea.

They spent a few seconds in brotherly silence before Sabo's smile dimmed. He let his head fall against the raven's shoulder. "Something's wrong," he murmured below his breath, just loud enough for Ace to hear.

His brother gave a non-commital half-shrug, but Sabo noticed his eyes flitting towards the pair at the doorway. The new arrival had stopped talking, but Roy seemed strangely agitated instead. But despite the fact that he was talking animatedly, Sabo couldn't catch a single word. They were purposely keeping their voices down.

"Split up?" Ace suggested quietly, but Sabo shook his head. They couldn't split up again only seconds after they'd joined each other. No matter how suspiciously Roy and his friend were acting, there was a possibility that it had nothing to do with them. It wouldn't do to raise their suspicions without due cause.

"Where's Luffy?" Sabo asked instead, his body turning tense and ready to jump into action when Roy waved good-bye to them, leaving the room shortly afterwards.

"He's with Franky," Ace predictably answered, subtly responding to Sabo's change in posture.

"Then let's go there," Sabo decided quickly, rising to his feet a bit too smoothly for his character, but he still hoped nobody was watching them. Nevertheless, he didn't protest when Ace reluctantly grasped his hand, smiling nervously at his big brother as he'd done many times during the last three days despite his blood boiling on the inside.

Time almost seemed to slow down as they moved towards the door Ace had entered through before, each step slow and heavy. At first, this change wasn't terribly noticeable, but when they'd crossed about half of the room, Sabo started cursing internally.

Another few clumsy steps and Sabo was certain. "They know," he growled through clenched teeth, futilely trying to pick up his pace. Sweat started to run down his cheek, the sound of his own heartbeat filling his ears as his vision started to grow blurry.

They almost reached the closed metal doors. Sabo could almost touch the doorknob when he stumbled, his arm shaking when he tried to push himself back off the ground. Ace was on his back next to him, his breath shallow and far too fast.

A sizzling noise that was ever growing louder suddenly registered in Sabo's mind. "Gas," he huffed, trying once again to get on his feet for naught. Strangely enough, the sound was soon drowned out by the rushing of water – or was it blood? Wind?

Sabo blinked, trying to focus the blurry image when he heard Ace groan next to him. Behind him? Above him? A stale taste filled his mouth and he found himself yearning for water. He was so thirsty.

With a hollow thump, his head fell against the stone floor, but the sound and the pain barely registered in his mind. There was something … Sabo's eyes fluttered shut, his limbs too heavy to move anymore. Where was he? What had he been doing?

The last thing he consciously registered was the screeching sound of a door opening and of too many pairs of boots rapidly approaching him.

xXx

Amaryllis elegantly redirected her opponent's attack with blade's thin edge and quickly slipped behind his back. Much to the bulky man's displeasure, she immediately proceeded to involve him in a bastardized game of cat and mouse, deliberately doing her very best to stay in his blind spot.

"Wooh! Go, Amy!" their sole audience cheered from the side lines, painting a mischievous smile onto the blonde's face.

Unfortunately, her opponent was very much unamused by the remarks from the peanut gallery. With a frustrated growl, he twisted around with a speed that Amaryllis hadn't expected him to be capable of.

The next attack from Smoker's jitte had her gritting her teeth as she pushed against the stronger man, forced to block it in her surprise. A contest of strength was something she preferred to avoid whenever possible.

"You can do it, Amy! Beat him up!" she once again heard from behind her back, but the encouragements didn't really help much in the situation she was in.

Smoker backed off all of a sudden. "You're not even watching, so shut up," he commented lowly, bringing his jitte to his back. A second later, Amaryllis followed his lead and sheathed her sword, welcoming the break. Swiping the sweat from her brow, she turned around to the effective distraction from the fight.

"That's not true," Finn denied valiantly, not even taking his eyes of the four balls he was juggling for a second. Amaryllis couldn't help but raise a sceptical eyebrow, both at his blatant lie and at his activity. "I'm practicing Observation Haki."

"By juggling?" Amaryllis asked in a disbelieving tone. Smoker's expression mirrored her feelings exactly.

"No, no," he said, only narrowly catching one of the balls, but he was quick enough to find his rhythm again. "The juggling's for eye-hand coordination. But I'm keeping up with your fight by using Observation Haki," he explained with an annoyingly superior voice.

"Right," Amaryllis drawled, unable to keep the sarcasm from her tone. Finn didn't seem to catch it with his Observation Haki, though.

Grabbing a bottle of water, she let herself drop to the floor, crossing her legs. Noting the ex-marine's subtly rigid posture and his crossed arms, she grabbed another one and chucked it at him, motioning for him to sit down as well.

The scowl she received in return honestly left her cold. It was hardly a secret around the ship that Smoker was constantly in a bad mood, nor had it escaped anyone's notice that he was still wearing his Marine jacket.

Unlike many pirates, Amaryllis didn't actually have much of a problem with Marines. That might be partly due to the fact that she hadn't been a pirate for a very long time and, as such, hadn't had a lot of run-ins with them so far. However, she also understood that their existence was necessary.

Without the Marines, the seas would quickly sink into chaos. Even with their presence, pirates were running rampant – and usually, those pirates were far worse than the soldiers fighting against them. There was no denying that there was corruption within the Navy as it was within the government, but most of the Marines were simply hard-working people fighting for what they perceived to be justice.

Amaryllis could see that the system was flawed. Yet that didn't mean that she wished for the Marines not to exist at all. Not as long as there wasn't any better organisation to replace it.

Maybe it was this view that allowed her to look at Smoker more impartially than most of her shipmates, to see the human behind the steel mantle of justice. And what little she had seen had only made her search out the grumpy Marine all the more.

It didn't hurt that it distracted her from the miserable state her former crew was in right now.

"Oh, stop looking so grumpy and sit down," Amaryllis hurriedly suggested upon seeing that Smoker hadn't moved from his spot, even if he had caught the bottle she'd thrown at him. "I think we've trained enough for now."

She received a derisive noise of acknowledgement as a response, but since Smoker went to sit down and lean against the railing next to his commander, Amaryllis silently celebrated a victory. "But how am I supposed to practice Haki now?" Finn immediately whined.

Amaryllis didn't hesitate for a second before dumping the rest of her water straight into the raven's face.

The four balls fell to the wooden floor with heavy thumps as Finn started spluttering. "Shouldn't you have been able to evade that?" she asked innocently, tapping her index finger against her chin in wonder.

Leaning out of the way of the blue ball when Finn threw it at her, her glance once again fell on her hulking sparring partner. A light frown appeared on her face when she saw him lighting two cigarettes, though the excessive smoking likely couldn't harm his body at all. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if he'd already been such a heavy smoker before joining their crew, or if this was his way of finding some relaxation in what he perceived to be a hostile environment.

Whether that was the case or not, this situation couldn't go on the way it had so far. Amaryllis wished their youngest captain was here. Luffy always had his irresistible charm for situations like that. Well, when he got back, she could always bring Smoker's discomfort to his attention, if he wasn't already aware of it. And for now, she'd just have to continue playing the welcoming face on the ship.

Yet it wasn't an act. She did think that Smoker would be a great addition to their crew, that he could find his place amongst them. Ever since she'd met him on Snowmelt and seen how he'd handled Luffy, she'd been somewhat intrigued by the strange Marine. Of course, she'd never expected that Luffy would successfully recruit him.

"Why, Amy?" Finn pouted. "That was so unnecessary." Amaryllis couldn't help but giggle at his petulant look. If anything, his expression grew even more offended, and he turned to point an accusing finger at Smoker. "Shouldn't you defend me? I'm your commander!"

Amaryllis' amused grin turned into a soft smile as she watched the interaction between the two completely opposite men. At least Finn had no inhibitions about acting naturally around their newest crewmember.

"Not when you're acting like a child," the ex-Marine commented indifferently, turning his head towards the sky to blow out a huge cloud of smoke.

"This is insubordination," Finn growled under his breath, crossing his arms in protest. "This is just because you think you're better than me, right? Just you watch! I will defeat you! Soon!" Finn loudly announced, pumping his fist in the air. "I'll train harder and harder, and then I'll grow stronger and stronger and even –"

A punch to the head successfully shut up the joking commander. "Whatever," Smoker said, unclenching his fist to support his head as he leant back further.

Sadly enough, any further conversation was cut short by a shout from the crow's nest. Immediately, Finn perked up again, though he was still rubbing the bump where Smoker had hit him. "Land?" he repeated excitedly. "We're finally there?"

Amaryllis felt a thrill of excitement and relief rush through her. They'd been waiting to hit the next island the entire day, ever since the weather had stabilised. Soon enough, the three captains would be back on board and some semblance of normalcy might actually return to their chaotic crew.

"Sommerset." Smoker hummed. "I've heard about that island before."

Two pairs of eyes snapped towards him. "You have?" Finn asked disbelievingly.

"Of course, I have," Smoker answered in an annoyed tone. "It's customary for higher-ranking Marines to know the routes through Paradise. We wouldn't want to be caught off guard like common pirates."

"Well, if you'd told us this before, we wouldn't be caught off guard like common pirates either," Finn chided good-naturedly, apparently not at all offended by Smoker's derisive comment. "Come on. We're gonna go talk to Francis so we can make some plans." Much to the man's displeasure, the second commander started to drag him away by his arm before hesitating. "Do you think you can get Azure up and going, Amy?"

Amaryllis frowned. Finn instantly shrank back, his expression sheepish. If there was one name nobody had dared to mention in her company for the last couple of days, it was this one. She clenched her jaw. "I'll try," she finally conceded, her frown deepening. "But I won't promise anything."

"That's fine, that's fine, that's all I'm asking!" Finn hurriedly tried to appease her. His foolish impression might have amused her if not for a certain name. "Take as much time as you need." He quickly turned around, tugging on the annoyed Smoker's arm again. "We're gonna be in the captains' ca-aah!"

Even Smoker's cursing when Finn stumbled over the other's feet and subsequently sent them both tumbling down onto the deck elicited little more than a bitter smile on Amaryllis' face.

Reluctantly, she followed after the pair, noting absent-mindedly to tease Finn later when she saw Smoker grabbing him by the neck to drag him along. But for now, she would have to make her way to another dreaded cabin.

Far too soon, she was in front of Azure's door, raising her hand to knock before hesitating.

 _"Azure, please, be reasonable. You're already hurt. Don't throw away your life for nothing." His body was rigid with tension, Amaryllis noted when she tugged at his arm, ready to jump into action against their captain. Against Luffy, the sweet child who'd taken Azure's loyalty by storm._

 _Azure only spared her a short glance when she finished her sentence, but that single look was loaded. Never before had she seen Azure so livid, yet simultaneously so desperate beneath the surface, so fragile. It was similar to and yet nothing like the first time they'd met._

 _In retrospect, she wasn't surprised when Azure violently shook off her hand and pushed her to the side, even if it still caught her off guard. For now, Azure was too far gone to be reasoned with, to entranced in his past to truly understand what he was doing in the present._

 _For now, Amaryllis could only hope that the bond between Luffy and Azure wouldn't break completely._

Her hand slowly fell back to her side as she pressed her lips together. She wasn't angry at Azure because he'd ignored her back then, or because he might have actually hurt her if she'd tried to persist. No, what made her so mad was what happened when he was once again calm enough to think.

 _"Azure?" Amaryllis knocked lightly on the door, waiting for an answer despite the early morning hours. But she received none. "Azure?" she asked again, before tacking on with mild irritation, "I know you can hear me. Stop ignoring me."_

 _If there was one thing she'd learned about Azure in the short, but intense time she'd known him, it was that he had a ridiculously light sleep. Even if he hadn't been awake when she'd first arrived, he was definitely ignoring her now. "I'm coming in."_

 _The room was still fairly dark when she opened the door, only barely illuminated by the rising sun. It wasn't too difficult to find Azure on his bed, though, covers thrown up until his shoulders with his head facing towards the wall._

 _After carefully placing the tray on Azure's bedside table, Amaryllis sat down on the bed. Azure didn't move an inch even when she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I told you to stop ignoring me," she remarked bossily, but even though she'd meant for her attitude to be funny, the sentence tasted bitter on her tongue._

 _Azure still didn't react. Not a single twitch indicated that he was bothered or even aware of her presence. Anyone else might have presumed that he was simply soundly asleep, but Azure couldn't fool her that easily. And he should have known that._

 _With a forceful tug on his shoulder, Amaryllis turned Azure onto his back. At the very least, he knew not to resist her, but the blank expression on his face made her want to slap him anyways._

 _"You're going to eat your breakfast now," she ordered, trying to keep her voice even but failing. "And then, you'll come with me, and you'll talk to Francis. And you'll talk to our crew. And once they're back, you'll talk to Luffy, and you'll talk to Sabo and Ace. Do you understand?"_

 _Azure blinked at her once, the motion strangely slow, before once again turning his back towards her._

 _Amaryllis froze in her seat, her palm growing cold where it had just rested upon Azure's shoulder. The only sound in the cabin was their breathing, barely audibly and completely out of synch._

 _"Nobody knows what to think," she finally whispered, barely aware of what she was saying herself. "Nobody knows what to do. And even if I'm encouraging them to form their own opinions …" her voice trailed off as she searched for some understanding in Azure's cold back. "I know what I want, but I don't know what to do. Not until you've told me what you've decided."_

 _The words rushed out of her mouth almost against her wishes, and Amaryllis clenched her teeth to avoid any more embarrassing confessions. She didn't want to be that kind of girl whose entire life depended on what some guy said or did. She wouldn't be. But still … But still, she'd laid awake at night afraid of what Azure would do when he woke up._

 _As the silence dragged on, she felt herself getting more and more worked up at his stubbornness. She'd given up everything for him. She'd accepted her village's scorn when she started taking care of him, had sacrificed hours upon hours looking after somebody who didn't even want to live any longer. And when she'd finally managed to put him back together, she'd left her father, her life, everything she'd ever known behind just to help him find some closure. Even when he'd found the remnants of his father's crew, when she could have rightfully congratulated herself on a job well done, she'd stayed with him, sensing the same fragility nobody else ever seemed to have spotted in Azure._

 _Would it really hurt him to fucking answer her when she talked to him? Would it physically or emotionally harm him in any way to, just for once, consider her side of things, think about how she felt when he simply cast her aside as if she didn't matter?_

 _"You don't want me to talk right now."_

 _For a second, Amaryllis almost believed she'd imagined the quiet words. She clenched her teeth as her eyes started to burn. "Fine," she spat, rising to her feet quickly and walking towards the door. "Be that way."_

She could still hear the same door she was now staring at fall shut behind her. Since then, she hadn't even tried to enter the first commander's room again. She'd virtually turned deaf whenever anyone mentioned his name, and from her subsequent actions everybody on the ship quickly learned not to mention him at all.

Yet avoidance wouldn't solve anything. Amaryllis had already indulged far too long, had already skirted around the issue for far longer than she was comfortable with. Azure wouldn't come to her, no matter how much he wished that, just this once, he would.

Amaryllis resolutely shoved down her torn feelings on the matter, put her hand on the doorknob and entered.

It was almost as if the last few days hadn't happened at all. The room was still as dark as it could be at dusk, and it looked as if Azure hadn't moved from his position at all. If Amaryllis hadn't known that Goode was trying to subtly send food to the first commander, she might have presumed that he'd died of starvation.

She worried her lower lip. "We'll arrive at the next island soon. You should go talk to Francis to coordinate things," Amaryllis finally said, her voice cool and even.

A silence fell over the room.

The bitter taste in her mouth turned metallic as she bit down hard on her lip, crossing her arms to hide the trembling in her hands. "Are you listening to me?" she snapped, her patience precariously thin. Yet still, Azure wouldn't answer. After another few painfully long seconds, Amaryllis hissed, "Fine. I tried."

The blonde turned on her heel, her left hand clenching around the hilt of her sword when she grasped the doorknob with her right one. It wasn't like they really needed Azure. Francis had led the crew just fine the last couple of days. It wouldn't be any different when they landed on the island.

If Azure wanted to stay in his self-imposed solitary confinement, Amaryllis sure wouldn't stop him. She'd tried. But she wouldn't care if Azure rejected any offer of help, she really wouldn't. Didn't. It wasn't her problem.

"Amaryllis."

She hated how her heart skipped a beat at hearing his voice, the single word, her name, repeating over and over again in her head. Her hand froze on the doorknob, not quite turned to open yet, maybe now it never would. A feeling of hope rose in her chest, and despite her lingering resentful emotions, she didn't quite manage to squash it.

Still, she didn't turn around, couldn't turn around. It was like she was frozen in her spot, physically incapable of moving a single muscle.

"I don't know what to do," Azure whispered. Amaryllis almost didn't catch the nearly silent words, but it was like this quiet confession and the terribly vulnerable tone gave her permission to move again. "Please, tell me what to do."

Azure looked like shit. His hair was the dishevelled mess she hadn't seen since he was tossing and turning with nightmares for hours on end, and the bags under his eyes were atrocious. Even worse, though, was the look on his face, his twisted mouth, his clenched jaw, the way his eyes almost desperately clung to her.

His emotions were out there for the world to see, and it changed everything. For some people, it might have been like meeting a stranger, but for Amaryllis, it was the reason for her unexpected journey come to life.

"Just …" A shiver wrecked his body. "Why did … Why did it have to be him?" His hands clenched tightly around his blanket, and suddenly Amaryllis found herself kneeling on the bed next to him, snaking her fingers around his. He almost crushed her slender limb.

"Th-they all died," Azure stuttered, his eyes glazed over. "They died all around me. All of them. I … I couldn't do anything." Tears started running down Amaryllis' cheek at the sheer agony in his voice. "H-he killed them all. And Luffy calls him Gramps. He can't. I … I can't."

Almost unconsciously, Amaryllis let go of Azure's hands and wrapped her arms around his shoulder, holding him as tightly as she could. And Azure clung to her, still strangely quiet even as his body was wrecked with heart-wrenching sobs.

She half-heartedly tried to stop crying herself, but as Azure's shoulders continued to heave in her arms, she found that she couldn't. This was almost worse than when she first found Azure. He would look at her with dead eyes for days on end, until the ugly break-down inevitably came.

Dismissing the unhelpful memories from her mind, Amaryllis buried her nose in Azure's hair, disregarding the sweaty mess it was. It took her a long time to regulate her breathing, to calm herself and try to offer the steady comfort Azure so desperately needed.

It took Azure a lot longer to quiet down.

When he did, darkness already pervaded the room as night had fallen. But Amaryllis didn't mind – her eyes were already used to the dark, and confessions were best made in the shadow of the night. "He called me his son," Azure whispered, his chin in the crook of her neck. Amaryllis started to slowly run her fingers through his dark blue strands, humming quietly.

"He'd never done that before," Azure continued, the words rushing from his mouth loaded with emotion. "I always thought I was just a tool of him, that only mom really cared about me. Not about what I could do, but me. Just me."

"He was always so serious after she died," Azure's quiet voice broke a little. "He just kept pushing me harder and harder, and there were times I almost hated him. But I knew what he was doing. He was just doing what mom would've wanted. I couldn't … I couldn't blame him for that."

"He called me his son. His legacy," Azure repeated. Amaryllis felt his chin tremble against her neck. "But I couldn't even avenge him. I couldn't do anything. Again. He's probably turning in his grave, watching me call his grandson my captain." He spat out the last word as he talked himself into a frenzy.

Amaryllis knew that he didn't really mean it, that he was upset and saying whatever came to his mind. But this one word should never be said with such abrasiveness, with this much disrespect. Especially since she knew that wasn't the way he really felt about Luffy.

Strengthening the grip on his hair, Amaryllis drew back his head so she could look at him. Azure seemed surprised by her action, but his wide-eyes gaze continued to meet hers steadily. For a second, she almost forgot what she wanted to say, lost in his consuming dark eyes.

She bit the inside of her mouth to snap herself out of it. "I've never seen you happier than when you joined this crew," she finally said, smiling softly. "Luffy's good for you. He's given you a purpose, something to believe in. I've …" She gently cradled his cheek in her palm. "I've never seen you smile so much."

"I was happy with you," he protested feebly, the look on his face so sweetly earnest. It was so different from how he looked at her usually. A warm feeling spread through her chest, making her feel positively giddy.

"I'm glad to hear that," she replied, caressing the side of his face with her fingertips. "But I know you, Azure. You'd have never been satisfied with a life on some remote island. The sea's calling you."

She hesitated a bit, but she knew at least a bit of what he needed to hear. "Luffy chose you," she finally remarked firmly, her blue eyes boring into black. "He didn't choose who his grandfather was, but he chose you."

"I know," Azure murmured, his expression defeated. Amaryllis didn't like the look on his face.

Pressing her lips to his forehead, she whispered, "Lie back down. I'll go tell the others not to wait for us." Reluctantly, she rose from her position on the bed, gently caressing Azure's cheek as he followed her instructions without complaint.

She'd just reached the door when her ears caught the quiet words. "Come back soon."

A small smile once again appeared on her face. "I will," she confirmed softly, closing the door behind her.

Instead of leaving immediately to do as she had said, she stared at the closed door, her hand still on the doorknob. Her free hand twisted one strand of blonde hair around her index finger, the smile on her face widening as she relished in the warm feeling only Azure seemed capable of causing in this intensity.

Still she didn't allow herself to linger too long. After all, she'd promised Azure. "I'll be back soon," she repeated below her breath, her hand sliding off the doorknob.

She was just about to turn around when cold steel pressed against her neck, a rough hand covering her mouth shortly afterwards.

"Don't move."

xXx

 _A/N: Hello again, ladies and gentlemen! I hope you've enjoyed yourself reading the longest chapter in this story so far!_

 _I've debated long and hard with myself whether I should post this chapter already. After posting the last one, I swore to myself that I would only publish the next one after I'd finished the entire arc. This was mostly due to the fact that I still had no clue what I was gonna do with it, aside from: "Hey, let's introduce Franky early! You know, it was always weird that a shipwright knows so much about cybernetics. I know, he learned it from other engineers!" Tadaa. That was it. That was the whole extent of my plan for this arc._

 _Then, of course, I realised that I have a whole crew of characters who can't just sit around all the time doing nothing. So, first, I figured out something for Finn to do (coming next chapter). But Finn's, like, one person out of - ten? Fifteen people? It's kind of sad that even I don't know how many characters I'm playing around with._

 _So, I was at a bit of a loss. I procrastinated. I reread a couple of One Piece chapters. And then, it hit me._

 _Since this would be spoiling the next few chapters quite badly, I'm not going to tell you what I came up with. Suffice to say, this arc escalated badly. Like, really badly. But at the end of it, we should have three more canon characters on the crew (Franky included)._

 _I'm about halfway through the next chapter, so today, I just wrote a rough draft on what I still wanted to cover. And that made me realise that it was gonna take a loooong time still until I'm finished with this arc. I could hardly make you wait so long._

 _Long story short: I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Thank you to all those who send me reviews, you keep the story going at least as much as my beloved computer does!_

 _Now, on to our usual Q &A session:_

 _1) What is Franky doing all the way out here? Well, obviously, he's here because I want him to be here. I am the god of this story. On a more serious note, we don't know where Franky was in the four years between his encounter with the Puffing Tom and his return to Water 7. I decided to send him to this island, since somebody has to have taught him about cybernetics._

 _2) Yes, Ace does have Conqueror's Haki. All three brats have it. (Sorry for being short, but I think I'm answering this question every other chapter.)_

 _3) There's no particular plot behind Sabo's parents putting a bounty on his head (yet). But I imagine it would be quite amusing to see Sengoku's face when he realises that a brat he gave a bounty of 20 million already had an unofficial bounty of 30 million back in the East Blue._

 _4) Thanks to all of those who're encouraging me to write pairings. I'm still set on no pairings for Ace, Sabo and Luffy, but you may have noticed I'm starting to hint on one for Amy and Azure. Those two are just a given. But it's not gonna turn into a major plot point, promise._

 _5)_ _It should be obvious after this chapter that Franky does not remember the future, as has been the case with Nami._

 _6) I know I once said that Brook would be the first Straw Hat to join. I'd intended for him to be the first one to join. But well ... stuff happened. Shit went down. Plans were scrapped. Plans were created. What shall I say - my writing process can be very chaotic._

 _Alright, then, that's it for this author's note! Thanks to everyone who's still sticking with me despite the many OC's! And, btw, I loved your reactions to Franky showing up. Keep it up, guys!_


	12. Murder, brainwashing & other dirty work

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise. (But my characters are my own!)_

xXx

Names without a description have been mentioned in the story because I don't like to use nameless grunts. In my opinion, it would be rather unrealistic for commanders not to know the names of their subordinates. As such, that list may grow as the story goes on, but these characters probably won't rise to any particular significance. (Unless one of their designs turn out to be particularly well received.)

 **Original crew :**

 **Francis:**

First mate of the Devilspawn pirates, formerly a captain in his own right. Fights using knives, usually partners with his best friend Goode. Orange hair, golden eyes, fairly tall (Think Bill of the Silver Pirate Alliance just with short, lighter hair – I watched this arc only after I'd already designed Francis, and that was pretty much how I'd pictured him).

Confident leader with a good sense for humour, also a very pragmatic thinker. Has recently rediscovered his passion for art.

 **Finn:**

The youngest of the original crew, joined Francis' crew barely three months earlier. Rather insecure, hadn't developed any particular fighting style by the time ASL took over. Tall, lanky at the beginning, but quickly filling out muscle; black, spiky hair, bright blue eyes (if you've ever read Percy Jackson – Finn's practically how I'd imagine a male Thalia – without the emo clothing).

After quite a few difficulties, Finn's finally become the second commander, slowly growing into his new position and his new Devil Fruit.

First to quickly grow close to his new captains, partly due to proximity of age. His idol, however, is Francis.

 **Ivy:**

A short woman in her mid-twenties, the crew's most talented sniper. She joined Francis' crew about four years ago, but due to her shyness, she only grew close to a few of the other members (particularly Goode and Finn). Emerald green hair in a pixie cut, brown eyes, usually wears fancy guns at her hips.

Since Ivy's sister Zandra blames her for their father's suicide, they've barely spoken since they joined Francis' crew. The rift between them is currently causing her quite a bit of trouble.

 **Goode:**

Francis' best friend, formerly the first mate of their crew. Has been on Francis's side ever since his friend had a fight with his father. Fights using two swords, currently the most talented swordsman of the crew. Pretty tall, muscular, tanned, short blonde hair, heavily scarred (think Stephen Lang in Avatar with a charming personality).

Sarcastic, likes to make jokes at other people's cost, but is usually tactful enough. Also works as the ship's head cook.

 **Zandra:**

Ivy's younger sister, also a sniper, if not quite as talented. Fairly tall, wears her emerald green hair long.

Zandra mostly keeps apart from the crew, always seeming unhappy. Without being prompted, she's rarely seen speaking to anyone.

 **Beckett:**

The crew's current head doctor, a stocky man in his mid-forties. He tends rant about the idiocy of his crewmates and doesn't understand the recklessness of many of their fights. Spends most of his time researching in his office.

 **Dante:**

The crew's head navigator. Has been with Francis from the beginning. He's rarely seen during the day due to his sensitive skin (suffers from albinism). His white, wavy hair reaches to his chin; when he's outside, he wears a large, fancy hat that shadows his entire face (like Hawkeye's, just larger).

Not a fighter, but brilliant when it comes to his field of expertise. Also diligently writes the crew's log. His most prominent character trait is constantly being annoyed.

 **First unit – Azure (24 members):**

 **Azure:**

Former captain of the Austin pirates, fairly young for his position (around 20). Prefers close combat, can stop anything in its tracks by touching it (Devil Fruit power). Peculiar appearance – white skin, black eyes, sharp nails, dark blue hair that falls straight to his chin.

Azure's character is rather closed off, rarely shows emotions, though Luffy tends to be an exception to that rule. His father was killed by Garp after declaring his intention to become the Pirate King. As such, he's currently suffering through a very, very big break-down.

 **Amaryllis:**

Cook of the Austin pirates, talented swordswoman fighting with one sword. Rather doll-like appearance, blond, curly hair worn in a ponytail, blue eyes, a bit taller in height than Ivy.

Quite motherly and soft-spoken, but with quite the stubborn streak. She saved Azure's life and nursed him back to health after his father was killed.

 **Tristian**

 **Second unit – Finn (18 members):**

 **Cameron**

 **Grady**

 **Becca**

 **Gem island:**

 **Jemima:**

Leader of the people of Gem island. A talented mechanic, somewhat paranoid, but with a soft spot for children. Has a tendency to interrupt people in the middle of their sentences.

 **Roy:**

Jemima's husband and the delicate balance to her brash attitude. Wears glasses. Soft-spoken, but still carries a certain authority.

xXx

For a short summary of the first eight chapters, check out chapter 9. From there onwards, each chapter has a short flashback to its predecessor.

Last chapter, our crew was separated as Luffy, Ace and Sabo disappeared into a moving island. The crew, after long hesitation, decided to move on to the next island after waiting for one night, hoping they'd be able to meet up with their captains there.

Things aren't too rosy on the crew at the moment, though. Azure is still reeling with the revelation of his worst enemy as his captain's grandfather and unsuccessfully attacks Smoker in his rage. His unit, his former crew, mostly subsists on rumours of what has happened between him and their captains, torn on what to do and what to believe.

Luffy, on the other hand, is over the moon as he meets Franky on the moving island. Things don't stay as happy and as relaxed as he would have wished, though, as the residents of the strange moving island apparently harbour an inherent suspicion against pirates and really all outsiders who might abuse their engineering skills. A quick disguise for Ace and Sabo, now Tom and Flam, later, the three brothers are welcomed to the island by Jemima, their leader, as three boys who'd just escaped pirate captivity.

Only shortly after, though, the three boys start planning their escape with Franky. Sabo especially seems anxious to get off the island, going as far as to threaten Franky to reveal the information they need. Ace manages to somewhat defuse the resulting tension between his brothers.

Soon, a supply ship (a submarine, like the moving island itself) arrives back at Gem island, which the four are planning to steal. Unfortunately, the ship apparently comes bearing bad news, and Sabo and Ace find themselves knocked out.

Meanwhile on the Tigris, the atmosphere becomes more and more depressing as the absence of the captains becomes more noticeable. As such, Law feels he has no choice but to play a prank on Goode. He also takes multiple swims in the sea. Somehow, those two events are related.

Amaryllis finally, and very reluctantly, goes to confront Azure when they arrive at Sommerset. Azure tries to ignore her at first, but then breaks down badly. Amaryllis does her best to comfort him. In the end, she goes briefly to inform Francis not to expect them anytime soon, only to end up with a sword to her neck.

 _A/N: The last chapter was kinda difficult to sum up, and it's been a while. If this doesn't jog your memory, it would probably be a good idea to read chapter 11 again. Sorry._

xXx

 **Chapter 12: Murder, brainwashing and other dirty work**

Eyes drooping, Law pushed open the door to the infirmary. It had been an exceptionally restless night … morning … midday. Whenever he thought he was used to his insomnia, it had to act up in such a spectacularly annoying way he'd almost start cursing his fate. Seriously, why couldn't he simply fall asleep during the night like normal people? No, of course, he had to lie awake with dry eyes for hours upon hours as Bepo calmly snored besides him, only for his stupid eyelids to finally drop when the first sunrays hit their ship.

And naturally, he never slept well when it was light outside. Stupid insomnia.

Now, he'd just quickly get a glance at his supplies and make sure he hadn't forgotten anything when Beckett had ambushed him immediately after he left his room. Apparently, the good doctor had deigned to wait for Law's input before heading to the town they'd docked at at some point during his unpleasant rest. However, that didn't mean the good doctor was graceful about his generosity.

"Stupid doctors with their stupid superiority complexes," Law muttered under his breath. He rubbed his eyes and opened the nearest cupboard, his eyes flying over the bottles at a painfully fast speed. The words swam into each other, ending in a jumble in Law's head. He groaned in frustration. "I need coffee …"

The sound of the door opening again drew his attention, and Law turned his attention gratefully from the frustrating cupboard to the new arrival. He smiled his best supportive doctor smile. "Need something?"

For some reason, he only received an icy glare in return. Until now, Law hadn't quite been able to figure out why, but people always seemed to suspect something hideous when he was just being nice. "Nothing from you," Zandra snapped, striding past him towards Beckett's desk.

"Thank you," Law drawled sarcastically, sweet façade dropping quicker than a lightning bolt. "That just made my day."

The woman ignored him without even the slightest flinch to indicate that she'd noticed his reply. One of Law's dry eyes twitched. Stupid people with their stupid brains. He intended to turn back to the supply cupboard to continue with his wonderful task, if not for a certain object to catch his attention.

"I think you have something of mine there."

The book disappeared under Beckett's mountain of notes. "I have no idea what you're talking about," Zandra replied, looking straight into his eyes despite the obvious lie. "Now, was there something you wanted, or are you just going to bore me to death with this useless conversation?"

"Was there something I wanted?" Law snapped. "Damn right, there was. I want my book back, and you damn well know it." Insomnia did wonderful things to his patience.

"Book?" Zandra asked cooly, lifting an eyebrow in surprise. "What would I do with a book? I can't even read." She continued scanning a sheet of paper in her hand.

For once, Law found himself at a loss for words.

What was up with that woman?

That audacity of hers!

His mouth was moving aimlessly without any meaningful words coming from it. What was up with his stupid brain? Sleepless night or not, he was not losing a battle of wits against this woman!

"I don't know," he finally said sweetly. "Maybe you're trying to light a fire to warm your icy heart."

The corner of her lip twitched. "I hope you don't get that creative during operations, doctor. That sounded awfully poetic."

"You'd be surprised at how eloquent a surgeon has to be," he replied with a chilling smile, stepping towards the table with a scalpel dancing between his fingers. "After all, somebody has to explain to the dear bereaved why the patient's vital organs ended up chopped up and stuffed inside her empty brain."

A choked sound escaped Zandra's mouth. Was she … laughing? What was wrong with that woman? He was absolutely, one hundred percent serious. This was no laughing matter.

An instant later, though, her expression smoothed over again. "How picturesque," she remarked before striding out of the room.

Law watched her retreating back for a second. "Hey!" he shouted after her, his glance dropping onto the messy desk. "You forgot my book!" He chuckled lightly when she flipped him the bird.

How interesting. He picked up his book, flipping through the unmarked pages absent-mindedly. Before today, he'd never had a conversation with the green-haired woman, nor had he ever felt any particular urge to do so. He'd certainly have never guessed that she hid an interest in medicine behind that mean façade.

They'd have to work on that, he noted with a scheming grin on his face. A doctor needed certain social skills, after all.

Speaking of social skills … "Hello?! Sunscreen! Now!" Dante complained impatiently, almost dropping one of the empty bags slung over his shoulder when he pushed up his glasses. Law hadn't even noticed him coming into the infirmary. He yawned. "You can sleep later, brat! Get to work!"

"Yeah, yeah," Law muttered unimpressed, walking back towards the cupboard to look for the requested item. For a second, he was tempted to accidentally choose the wrong product, but in the end, he decided he didn't have enough energy to deal with a homicidal navigator today. "Here you go."

"Finally!" Dante snapped, ripping the bottle from his hands. "If you worked any slower, it would be more efficient to employ snails!" He stormed from the room before Law could be bothered to speak up in his defence.

"Whatever," he murmured belatedly, looking around the room as he suppressed another yawn. It was really one of those days, wasn't it? There was no use sitting on his own in this room. It wasn't like he would get anything done, anyways.

Giving in to his desire to slack, Law strolled towards the bow of the ship, sitting down a few feet away from the bow. The ship was pleasantly quiet despite the fact that night hadn't even fallen yet. Though that little fact was understandable considering that a considerable part of the crew had left to explore the town they'd docked at.

Unfortunately for Law, Francis had decreed that it would be prudent for those with a bounty to stay on board until they knew the general mood amongst the people. Yet Law was still happy enough about his thirty million bounty to really get pissy about that.

True, it paled in comparison to those of his captains – the whole crew had gotten drunk despite the fact that the three children they were celebrating weren't even aboard. But unlike other people, he at least had a decent epithet. The Surgeon of Death. It seemed he was at least enough like his future self to earn the same badass name again.

Damn, he couldn't wait to rub that little fact in certain people's faces.

His mind relaxed and now properly amused, Law pulled out two books from his bags, opening the first one on his bookmark. The second one, detailing new breakthroughs in brain surgery, he placed carefully on the wooden deck next to him. Once he was done ploughing through rare internal sicknesses, that would be his reward.

The unusual silence on the ship was refreshing and the distant bustling in the port city meshed well with the calming sounds of the sea. Despite this not being his preferred subject, Law found himself enthralled in the book, turning page after page after page until he completely lost any sense of time.

It felt like he had only just sat down when Law closed the book, blinking tiredly when he once again registered the dryness of his eyes. Night had long since fallen – he was honestly surprised that he hadn't noticed the steady decline in light while he'd read the small black letters.

Still, the fact that he hadn't was a pleasant reminder of just how fascinating medicine was to him as a whole. Even an area that he wasn't specialised in managed to catch and hold his attention to such a degree that he forgot everything else, be it his physical needs, his worries or the entire world around him.

That was just what medicine was to him. It was such a big, impactful subject, yet it needed attention to the smallest details, reacted to miniscule influences you would have never thought would make a difference. But while it was a matter that required a love for details, it also needed a broad context, the ability to connect dots to a larger picture you never would have imagined from just the small, isolated indices.

A downright euphoric smile spread on Law's face as he put the book on the floor next to him, simultaneously reaching for the next one. He could literally spend days like this, leafing through book after book without a break for sleep and food until he collapsed. It would absolutely be worth it.

And collapse he did.

Law groaned at the sudden dull pain in his head, spreading rapidly from the sharp impact against his temple. At which point he'd hit the wooden planks, he wasn't quite sure, but the hard surface against the side of his head at least served as a bit of orientation when the world was still spinning around him quite madly.

He blinked heavily, trying to focus, and immediately tried to get back on his feet, or at least into a sitting position when he realised what must have happened. Gritting his teeth, Law put his palms against the floor, internally cursing himself for letting down his guard when they'd only just arrived at this island. Even if he wasn't the look-out, he still should have known better.

But just as he started to push himself onto his knees, any remaining, scattered energy in his body virtually flowing from him. Suddenly, it became a challenge just to keep his eyes open, any thought of fighting back muted. "Devil Fruit," he vaguely heard a voice. "As expected of the Surgeon of Death. Chain him up. He'll fetch us a nice sum."

"Whatever," a younger voice replied far too close to Law's ear, but despite the indifferent response, Law felt his arms being forcefully dragged behind his back. Cool metal settled against his wrists. Law couldn't even try to struggle. "I'll take him to the others."

Law wasn't very optimistic about the man's announcement considering that he certainly couldn't walk anywhere while shackled with seastone. Unfortunately, he soon found out that his captor was quite indifferent to his feelings on the matter, simply dragging him along when Law's knees gave way.

Who the heck were those people? Judging from the short exchange, it was likely they were either bounty hunters or slavers. Clearly, they were no amateurs judging from the way they'd snuck up on him and immediately figured out his weakness.

"Listen up." In his worried musings, Law almost missed his captor's quiet voice. "The chains are normal iron. The only thing made of seastone is my ring. Once you don't touch that anymore you'll have your strength back." For the first time, Law turned his head to look at the man dragging him across the deck, almost sweating with that small effort.

His first impression had been correct. He was young, maybe even as young as Ace and Sabo. Yet his eyes gleamed as cold as steel underneath his dark bandana, the cross around his neck at odds with the supposed innocence of a child. "Don't let anyone know, and don't make me regret it."

By now, Law was positively confused. What was the kid doing? He had to know that Law would try to escape as soon as he'd gathered his wits and his strength again. Why was he taking this risk? But he didn't get a chance to ask his questions, even if he would have been able to articulate them, instead being unceremoniously propped up against the railing on the starboard side.

As promised, Law soon felt energy rushing back into his body, though it unfortunately only intensified the dull throbbing in his head. A sharp glare from those awfully mature eyes stopped him from perking up too much, though.

He wasn't quite sure why he even listened to the kid. He had no reason to consider to his instructions, and every reason to go against them to protect the crew in his captains' stead. But something about this kid … he was somehow familiar. Law hated being sentimental, but he could empathize with his situation. Heck, he'd been in worse places when he was still below that age. The least he could do was respect his wishes for as long as he could.

Law continued blinking slowly even as he felt his senses return to normal. Keeping his eyes half-way closed, though, he started scanning his surroundings systematically, his heart beat pounding in his ears as his lips thinned. Maybe he'd have to rescind that decision sooner than he'd thought.

Blood. There was far more blood than there should be on their ship, their home, from errant splatters to disconcerting puddles to a thin, red coating where a body had been dragged along. The bodies. For that's all that was left of them, any life that had once filled their eyes, that had once lightened up the ship long gone.

Jayden. Byron. Charlie. He knew their names, but he knew nothing else about them. He knew their faces, had passed them on the hallways, had seen them in the mess hall. Those faces would never leave him now, forever be burned into his memory, joining the fleeting acquaintances in Flevance that he hadn't been strong enough to save either in his nightmares.

"So, this is the Surgeon of Death." Law found his chin turned up forcefully, staring straight into a terribly grey face. The man certainly had to have taken avoiding the sun to another level entirely. "Doesn't look very intimidating too me." For some reason, Law's nose started itching. "Then again, a lamb ready for slaughter wouldn't know anything about intimidation, would it?"

Law reflexively glared at the man, disgusted at the dirty fingers touching his face. Only a second later, he realised that he maybe shouldn't look quite this lively. "Stop playing with your food, Tyson," an elderly woman's voice scolded to Law's right.

While the man appeared so unkempt he looked like he'd spent the last few years on the streets, the woman was his polar opposite. Her short dark hair framed her face with perfect style, her lips painted a painfully bright red that turned even more brilliant in contrast with her snuggly fitting, black attire.

"Shut it, Ma," the man, Tyson, hissed at her, completely freaking Law out. No way that lady was old enough to have had a son as old as him.

"Manners, Tyson," she countered, looking positively disappointed in her son. "I do not like watching you act so uncouth." Her superior attitude quickly added annoyance to Law's current wariness. Who did she think she was, waltzing onto their ship without permission only to lecture about manners?

"But manners are wasted on walking corpses," Tyson drawled, a downright evil smirk spreading on his face as he once again peered down on Law. The young doctor did not like the haughtily approving smile on the lady's face.

"Now, then, Surgeon," he continued, a mad glint entering his dark eyes, "let's talk, hm?" Law didn't reply but defiantly stared back into Tyson's face. If he thought it was that easy to intimidate Law, he would hopefully not live to regret his mistake. "I'm looking for certain people," he said sweetly, his dirty nails burying into Law's cheeks even more deeply.

Law forced himself not to react to that statement. It wasn't exactly difficult to guess who these people were looking for. Whether they were bounty hunters or something else, their captains would certainly be a catch worth the risk to them. As if to confirm his thoughts, Tyson elaborated, "You were one of them, in fact. We treat anyone with a bounty on their heads with extra care." At the last two ominously emphasized words, he placed his free hand on Law's shoulder in what might have been a comforting gesture in any other situation.

As it was, the hard grip only served to remind Law of the dire situation they were in just now. "Unfortunately for you, your bounty is quite low, so we can afford you getting a bit damaged." As if to emphasize his point, his claws broke the skin on Law's cheek, causing a very unpleasant burning sensation. "Be a good boy and tell me what I want to know, yes?"

All that long, fancy speech did was fraying Law's already strained nerves. But no matter how annoying, it wouldn't have been enough for him to lose his shit. Another body dropping next to already three dead crewmates was, though. "Fuck you," Law growled, clenching his jaw so hard his teeth should have fallen to prevent himself from saying anything else. Words were meaningless, anyways.

Within a second, Tyson's grin turned from threateningly sweet to feral. "Wrong answer," he snarled, his hand snapping from Law's chin to cover his mouth too quickly for the surgeon to start his resistance.

His lungs burned. His eyes teared up, blurring his view of his assailant's gleeful face. His nose started itching even worse, but he couldn't sneeze. Couldn't breathe properly. His breathing was too flat and irregular as he choked on what appeared to be dry air. His mouth, his tongue felt almost numb as any saliva seemingly evaporated.

Just as he was about to black out from insufficient oxygen supply, the feeling abated slowly. Law wheezed, coughed, tried anything to get his breathing back to normal. His entire face burned from the unexpected effort, sweat pooling down the side of his face.

He didn't have nearly enough of his control again when his chin was once again turned upwards, an impatient note in Tyson's voice as he smiled sweetly. "Let's try this again, shall we?" he asked, his tone permitting no protest. Unfortunately, Law was severly lacking the air to defy him anyways.

"I'm going to ask you some questions," he continued, the sentence unnecessarily dragged out, "and you're going to answer them honestly. Simple, yes?" Law glared at the man fiercely enough to set him on fire, but his effectiveness was probably undermined by his burning eyes still pooling with tears. "Good. Let's start."

The nails were digging into Law's irritated skin again as the man's smile dropped, a murderously serious expression settling over his face instead. "Where is Daz Bones?"

It was really one of those days.

xXx

When he next woke up, Sabo was so dizzy he might have vomited, his limbs were still so heavy he might have suspected someone had tied rocks to them, and his view was still blurred. He seriously hated being drugged.

Ignoring his body's complaint to the best of his abilities, Sabo groaned and turned onto his stomach, propping himself up on his forearms as he took in his surroundings. The translucent rock wall and the people bustling around behind it wasn't exactly hard to miss. And neither was Ace, lying next to him, once again unconscious. If he weren't without a doubt watched closely right now, Sabo would have rolled his eyes. Ace seriously needed to get his shit together. Sabo would never listen to him complain about boring fights again if all he did was sleep through them. All the time.

Of course, his annoyance with his brother also warred with concern. A few testing tugs on the shackles chaining his wrists behind his back revealed them to be seastone. So, they were being careful. Bad for Sabo, horrible for Ace, but nothing they couldn't deal with.

Sabo's lower lip was trembling as his eyes darted around his cell nervously, roaming over the few people observing him in between their arguments from outside. For a few seconds, his gaze lingered on Jemima, then on Roy, a betrayed expression spreading on his face. Only then did he scramble closer to Ace, awkwardly feeling for a pulse.

It was probably redundant to continue playing his role, but Sabo was nothing if not dedicated. The least it would do was render them insecure about the assumptions they'd no doubt made about them so far.

Fortunately, Ace's heart was still beating steadily, if a little bit too slowly for Sabo's taste. But that was without a doubt the seastone's fault. He would really have to think of some way to get rid of it.

The sharp sound of a microphone being connected to the speakers Sabo had spotted earlier pierced the air. Sabo's eyes snapped immediately towards the translucent wall, his body carefully positioned in front of Ace. "Why did you come to this island, Devilspawn?"

Even through the speakers, Jemima's voice was as cold and accusing as her expression, her tone commanding. Franky sure hadn't exaggerated the islanders' attitude towards pirates. They had to get out of here as fast as possible.

Sabo refused his anger to seep to the surface, instead letting it simmer quietly. Who did she think she was, telling him what to do? There weren't many people on this planet that Sabo would ever listen to, and she certainly wasn't one of them.

"W-what do you mean?" he stuttered instead, suddenly sick of this charade. But if it would get him, get his brothers out of here, he would keep it up. "I d-don't understand. W-what are you doing with us? Please, let us out! I don't want …" Sabo trailed off, anchoring his seemingly trembling hands on Ace's wrist as his eyes snapped from Jemima to Roy and back again.

"Drop the act," Jemima commanded mercilessly, an irritated frown on her face. Roy looked deeply uncomfortable next to her, watching Sabo worriedly. It was obvious he was the one Sabo would be able to win over first. "We know who you are. Foulmouth Sabo."

"Excuse me?" Sabo couldn't stop his disbelieving exclamation.

Considering the situation, though, that might have been acceptable. As Jemima slapped three sheets of paper against the smooth rock for him to see, he permitted himself no slipup for the bounty posters.

… no matter how ridiculously satisfying they were. Horrible epithet aside (it seemed to rapidly become a trend in their family), an increase of more than a hundred million was exactly what his ego needed right now. "A 131 million bounty. Destruction of government property, several acts of piracy and harbouring enemies of the state," Jemima stated matter-of-factly.

"Don't even try to deny it," she warned, her lips drawn into a bitter line. "You might be younger than the government wants people to think, but your brothers aren't exactly subtle."

No, they really weren't. Sabo's eyes flitted to Ace's bounty poster, his expression carefully blank as the anger at being captured was fed with indignance. They had to be doing this on purpose. From this day onwards, nobody would be able to convince him otherwise – someone up high in the Marines held a close, personal hatred just for him.

Otherwise, Ace's 132 million bounty couldn't possibly be explained.

Sabo knew he was taking too much time already, but he'd been waiting for these bounties to be sent out for agonisingly long days on end. His eyes swept to Luffy's smiling face, only for said eyes to nearly bulge out of his head. "T-two hundred eighty million?" he screeched.

Eyes still wide, he quickly tacked on, "B-but, h-he's just a kid! He h-hasn't d-done anything!" Well, except for maybe almost beating up Garp the Fist, but well. It wasn't like they needed to know that. "We … we've never done anything, I swear," he continued more quietly, his eyes glistening with tears.

The look on Jemima's face was still as sceptical as ever, but Roy watched him with barely concealed sympathy. Just a little bit more … "W-we've been on the run for years, the government just started hunting Ace and Luffy, for no reason, they never even met their parents," he started rambling nervously, looking from Roy to Ace back to Jemima. "But then, these pirates caught us, and … and, they …"

Sorry, Francis, Sabo silently apologised. "And they held us hostage, and they made Ace do things he didn't wanna do but they were gonna kill us, and … and Ace …" This was getting pathetic. But Sabo was going to get his brothers out of here, and these idiots would regret ever having tried to detain them.

He started crying and bowed his head so far it was touching to rocky floor in front of him. "P-please! Please, j-just let us go! I-I … I promise we're not gonna tell anyone about you, we won't! Please, I just want to get out of here, Luffy and Ace are my best friends, my brothers, please don't hurt them! Please, just …" Sabo was at a loss about what more he could say. Maybe it was just time to let his words take their effect as he messily sobbed on the ground.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, Jem, they're just kids," Roy finally burst out. Sabo smirked for a brief second, his face hidden on the floor.

"They're pirates," Jemima protested, but Sabo could tell she was wavering. Just a little bit more …

"They're kids," Roy repeated. "Kids who're being hunted by the government for no fault of their own, just like we all were. Kids who're being terrorised and exploited by those in power, just like we all were."

Sabo's ears perked up slightly at the beautifully worded snippets of history. It didn't exactly come as a surprise to him that many people on this island had had horrible experiences with outsiders, or their isolationist policies would make little sense. He could even see why many of them would be an attractive target considering their impressive knowledge, genius and experience.

As sad as their story certainly was, right at this moment, he really couldn't be bothered to care. "They belong here, Jem, just as you and I do." Roy finished, presumably looking at Jemima expectantly.

For a few long seconds, it was quiet. The speakers were buzzing slightly, Sabo noticed absent-mindedly as he curled into as tight a ball as was possible with his hands behind his back.

"You're right," Jemima sighed. Sabo's smirk was even broader this time. "Open the doors and take off their cuffs." The speaker was turned off, and Sabo slowly lifted his head from the ground.

The door in the far left corner of his cell opened a few seconds later, revealing a few strangers Sabo vaguely recalled having met on the island. One of them hurried with the keys towards Ace while another quite unnecessarily helped Sabo stand.

Ace sighed lightly when the seastone was taken from his wrists, fidgeting slightly, but not quite awake yet. That was good. It was better than him being awake for this, for another captivity.

Jemima herself took the keys from her subordinate and moved to take off Sabo's shackles. Roy still stood at the entrance to the cell, looking quietly proud when Jemima started talking. "I apologise for the way we've treated you, Sabo. We've just learned to be cautious, but I know that's not an excuse."

"I-it's fine," Sabo stuttered, flexing his right hand as it was freed from the chain. "I understand. We c-could've been enemies. You were just being careful." Just not quite careful enough.

The engineer shook her head. "Don't make excuses for me. I don't shirk my responsibility in this."

"That's admirable," Sabo replied and meant it, twisting his left wrist to get the circulation going. "But it's true," he continued. "I'd even go as far as to say that you were wise for not trusting us." His voice was calm and even.

She shook her head again and sighed. "Thank you, I guess." She lightly squeezed his shoulder.

"Just not wise enough."

Just as Jemima dropped her hand and took a step back, Sabo moved. He moved too quickly for her to react, too quickly for most to even see him moving, and got her in a headlock tight enough to cause difficulty breathing.

"Nobody fucking move," he commanded, and it was as if time froze for a second.

A look of horror mixed with that insulting sympathy spread on Roy's face as he raised his hands in a placating manner. "Sabo," he started, his voice astonishingly calm. "You don't need to do this. We won't harm Ace or Luffy, I promise. You're safe here. Just let her go. We'll –" He took a step forward.

Sabo tightened his grip. "I said, don't. Move," he repeated, wishing he had those few missing inches of height that would facilitate intimidation a great deal. Roy dropped his hands, expression hesitant. "Good." Sabo noticed Ace's eyelids fluttering sleepily out of the corner of his eye. "Get me a Den Den Mushi. Prepare a submarine. And someone tell Luffy we're leaving," he commanded quickly, his voice cold.

Nobody moved. They did realise that a new series of commands nullified the previous one for all that needed to act, didn't they? But, of course, they were still waiting for commands from their superiors, as unnecessary as that action was. Sabo held their leader hostage – if they wanted to have her back alive, they should recognise his authority very quickly.

"Sabo …" Roy started again, his voice still so irritatingly soft. It seemed Sabo had underestimated his own acting skills.

"Stop treating me like a child," Sabo interrupted him harshly, his expression coldly indifferent. "I'm a pirate. If you don't follow my orders, she loses her head." To illustrate his threat was perfectly serious, he tilted her head a little further to the side until she flinched at the pain.

Finally, Roy's facial features hardened as he started to realise that Sabo was more than just a frightened child lashing out against those who'd hurt them. When Jemima started to struggle futilely, Sabo kicked the back of her knee without hesitation to hold her captive even more easily.

"Do as he said," Roy finally said faintly, causing the other people in the room to hesitantly jump into action despite Jemima trying to shake her head.

"Good," Sabo declared again, easing the headlock a fraction to allow Jemima easier breathing. Ace sat up behind him. "Oh, and I'd like my pipe back," Sabo added in passing. Roy nodded almost imperceptibly, the movement screaming of caution and fear.

"What's going on?" Yawning heartily, Ace stood up and walked towards Sabo, his steps slowing down bit by bit. "What are you doing?" His voice was tinged with wariness.

Shrugging indifferently, Sabo drawled, "Change of plans. They know who we are."

"Yeah, I figured," Ace muttered, but he still sounded dubious. Suppressing his annoyance at his brother's issues, Sabo resolved to tackle them later. Preferably when they were back on the Tigris, amongst their crew, not surrounded by enemies.

A dark-haired man, just barely old enough not to be called a boy anymore, entered their cell hurriedly, pressing a snail into Roy's palm before making a break for it as quickly as he could. Sabo smirked. So, he hadn't lost all of his intimidation skills, after all. "Call Dragon, Ace."

Roy's eyes went wide at the name, withdrawing his hand holding the Den Den Mushi slightly before Sabo glared at him in warning. Hadn't he already been quite clear what would happen if they didn't follow his orders?

"What?" Ace shouted incredulously, finally stepping into Sabo's field of vision. Though he might currently be relying on Observation Haki heavily enough to pick up Ace's emotions as easily as his own, he really preferred to look at people when he was talking to them. "Why on earth would I call Dragon?"

And so much for dealing with Ace's issues after they'd left this island. "Now's not the time for petty jealousy, Ace," Sabo scolded, ignoring his brother's look of outrage. "Gem island could turn the tide for the Revolution, do you realise that? They have some of the brightest minds I've seen in years, all working together on a common goal here. The things they could accomplish, the things they could change in this world with the right motivation are freaking incredible!"

It wasn't right for Ace's face to turn into a sour grimace at his words. Didn't he understand what this could mean for the war Sabo had been fighting for virtually his entire life? The World Government was strong, had had centuries to cement its power base – frankly, it was astonishing Dragon had managed to stir up as much trouble as he had.

But if they had technology that could rival Vegapunk's genius, that might be even more brilliant through the collaboration of the best their generation had to offer, they would finally be able to really stand up to the government. They would be able to change the world for the better.

The only thing necessary to achieve this victory was for these islanders to be just a little less stubborn and a little more cooperative, instead.

"We agreed that we wouldn't tell anyone about this island," Ace reminded him, scowling fiercely.

"Well, I've changed my mind," Sabo announced, meeting Ace's furious gaze squarely. "Now, call Dragon, Ace."

"Is that an order?" Ace snarled.

Why did he have to be so fucking difficult? Sabo had explained to him, quite clearly, why they needed to inform Dragon of these new developments, hadn't he? If he didn't know that it would make him seem weak, Sabo would have sighed in annoyance. "Yes. Get to it," he snapped, unwittingly tightening his hold on Jemima again.

For a little while, Sabo thought Ace was going to protest again, but in the end, he just huffed discontently and turned towards Roy. Sabo glared at his brother's back. He was worse than Koala sometimes, honestly. At least, she knew not to test him when he was already at his wits' end with the stupidity of some people.

Unfortunately, when he reached for the Den Den Mushi in Roy's hand, Ace wavered, before letting his arm drop back to the side. Sabo drew his lips into a thin line at the inaction. "Ace …" he started, before stumbling backwards a few steps as if someone had kicked him in the stomach.

Before he could recover from the sharp, focused burst of Conqueror's Haki, far more concentrated than anything he'd ever felt from his older brother, Ace was already upon him, breaking the feeble headlock he'd still kept on Jemima and kicked him into the wall.

With his breath thoroughly knocked out of him, his next sharp inhale brought both pain and relief. Sabo cursed internally as he quickly scrambled back to his feet, cradling his stomach almost unnoticeably. "What the fuck are you doing, Ace?" he growled when he looked up again just in time to see Ace help Jemima stand.

The elder raven still kept a hand on Jemima's forearm but angled his body in between Sabo and his hostage. "I think that's what I should be asking," Ace snapped, his face drawn into a frightening scowl that Sabo had for some reason always associated with pouty kid Ace. There was nothing cute about it now, though. "You've changed your mind? You don't get to just change your mind on something big like this," Ace hissed.

"Seriously?" Sabo scoffed. "Now you're going to get all prissy about your captaining rights? Do you really think this is the right time?" His voice virtually dripped with mocking sarcasm.

Ace clenched his teeth so hard Sabo almost thought he could hear them grinding. His eyes were literally burning into Sabo's with an insulted fury that … Actually, Ace had never looked at him like that. Something vaguely resembling guilt stabbed at his conscience, but the faint feeling was quickly drowned by his disbelief. "Roy, Jemima, get out of here."

"What?" Sabo exclaimed, approaching the pair with quick steps. But Ace merely pushed Jemima completely behind and then away from him. "Are you insane? They're our ticket out of here! The second they leave the room, they're just gonna attack us again!"

Roy supportively grasped Jemima's shoulder when she reached him, immediately turning to lead her from their cell. Sabo gritted his teeth and instantly moved to follow, but a grip like steel on his arm hindered his pursuit. "My brother and I need to have a little talk about how we run things," Ace virtually spat, glaring at Roy with a fervour that was clearly not meant to him. "If I even catch a whiff of gas again, I'm gonna torch this place. Got that?"

They left the room without a comment. They dared to leave the room without a single word of confirmation that Ace's threat had been acknowledged and respected, yet his brother didn't even seem to care.

Sabo decided on the only reasonable course of action in this situation.

After a bit of wrestling and some clever techniques that Ace would never get the hang of quite like Sabo did, his brother ate proverbial dirt as Sabo pressed his face against the rocky floor. But there was no time to celebrate his victory as he immediately jumped up to break into a run.

The door fell shut right before his nose.

A frigid smile lacking any ounce of joy spread on Sabo's face, his eyes slightly too wide. It was as if he couldn't move his focus from the closed door, the door separating him from his freedom, the door that dared to tell him to stay put. "Congratulations, Ace," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Your utter stupidity has succeeded in getting us locked up again."

His hands seemed to develop a life of their own, his fists closing, opening. Closing again. He needed to do something. This situation was plain and simply unacceptable. What had possessed Ace to act so unbelievably recklessly, thoughtlessly, selfishly? Didn't he have an ounce of logic, of self-preservation ingrained in his bones?

Right. Why was he even asking himself those questions? Of course, he didn't. While Ace might possess the ominous brain that Luffy at most times seemed to lack, that didn't mean he actually used it. Frustration fed even further into the flames of his anger at the disrespectful attitude Ace always had to rub in his face. "Fuck!"

The beautiful dent in the door served little to calm Sabo down, but it did show him that their situation wasn't quite as dire as he might have feared at first. This was still Paradise, after all. Not every prison was enforced with Seastone at every turn, and hardly anybody was truly equipped to deal with fighters of their level. Escape wouldn't be too difficult as long as they pulled it off before Roy and Jemima knocked them out again.

"Sabo. Stop."

Sabo froze only for a second before chuckling bitterly. "Oh, no," he drawled cynically as he turned around to glare at Ace, who'd stood up once again. "You've lost any right to tell me to do shit. It's not like you ever gave me that courtesy, remember?"

Ace opened his mouth as if to protest, but Sabo deemed it more likely that he would once again spout offensive nonsense he did not have the patience to deal with. "You wanna stay here and play happy engineer with them? Fine. Go ahead. I'm not stopping you. But I'm sure as hell not gonna hole up here and pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist like you idiots are."

Unfortunately, before Sabo could go through with his announcement and break down that annoying door, Ace asked softly, "So, even if they don't want to help you, you're going to make them join you on your crusade against the government?"

"Crusade?" Something about the way Ace had pronounced that word rubbed Sabo the wrong way. "If you mean that I plan on having them join the effort of disposing a corrupt government, abolishing slavery and overall improving the life of everybody on this planet, then yes. I'm going to make them join my crusade."

"For the greater good." Ace almost whispered.

"Yes," Sabo pronounced, cautiously relieved that his brother finally seemed to get it.

Ace silently looked at him for a long time, his expression unreadable.

"When did you turn into your father, Sabo?"

xXx

Rhythmic thuds against the wooden planks. Chains rattling against each other. A rasping cough.

She pressed closer against the wall, trying to make herself as small as possible in the hopes that the cannon's large silhouette would hide her.

The footsteps came to a halt. Mutterings she couldn't pick up. A crate being cracked open with a knife.

Her heart virtually jumped into her throat, her blood rushing through her ears so loudly she was sure the intruder must have heard it, too.

"Not here, either," the man cursed. In a fit of rage, he emptied the crate he'd opened onto the floor.

Her hand clenched around the bottle she'd picked up earlier when one iron cannonball rolled close to her, her body tensing in anticipation.

Cursing quietly, the man moved on. The footsteps became quieter with each step. The door fell shut.

Zandra released the breath she had barely realised she was holding and slowly moved her limbs to get rid of the frightening cold that had gripped her.

They had gotten complacent.

Zandra could still remember the time when their crew had been young – times when they were defeated, islands they avoided because the crews ruling over them were far too strong to even think about fighting, the concessions, monetary and otherwise, that Francis sometimes had to make to allow the crew to escape with their lives intact.

And then, the brats had happened.

Suddenly, the sea wasn't dangerous anymore. Fights could be challenging, but in the end, their lives were always protected if shit hit the fan. There were no such things as crews they couldn't defeat, fighters that were too powerful for any of them to take on.

The devil brats simply pounded all obstacles into the ground with a force they really shouldn't possess.

But now, the three brats were somewhere lost at sea, and the rest of the crew was under attack because those idiots just couldn't resist gaining higher and higher bounties on their heads. Really, what had they expected? That sailing the Grand Line was easy? That there was nobody who could match them in strength anymore?

Maybe it was time to leave.

Zandra carefully put down the bottle now that she wasn't in need of a weapon immediately and opened the gun port. It wasn't like it was actually blocked by the cannon since they never really used them – they had far more powerful human weapons to replace them by now. Still, she'd never thought to be grateful for the fact until she needed a way out of the ship without using the door.

It wasn't too far down into the water. It would be uncomfortable, of course, getting completely wet this late into the evening, but it wasn't like she had a choice or anything. She would just have to bear with it until she made it to town and hopefully managed to rent herself a room without catching the attention of whoever was attacking their ship.

While it certainly wouldn't be easy given the apparent skill their enemies had captured the ship with, if there was one thing Zandra knew how to do, it was how to disappear in a crowd. It would be doable.

Carefully, she manoeuvred one leg after the other through the gap, grimacing at the tight fit. For once, she was more than happy to have inherited the tall, but much less curvy traits from her father's side of the family, even if it had once earned her the reputation of a tomboy in spite of her behaviour.

Her arms immediately felt slightly strained when her entire weight fell onto them. For those few seconds until she was certain she could let herself drop into the water without anyone noticing, though, she would easily hold out.

"Ah, Francis!" Zandra's eyes snapped towards the railing she could barely make out above her. "Finally! I've been dying to meet you at last."

A thumping sound interrupted the footsteps she had absent-mindedly perceived before. "Gray Flake, I presume," Francis' voice replied in a strange tone.

"Very clever," the unknown voice snarled back, presumably the leader of this group. "Very clever, indeed. But you've always been too clever for your own good, haven't you? We all underestimated you. Barton's little wallflower."

Francis didn't answer, but Zandra could virtually picture the look on his face. If there was one thing Francis hated, it was being associated with his father in any shape or form.

"Like, remember that time when you stole my very best assassin and ran off to the East Blue?" The rage in the man's voice was barely contained. "Oh, I'll certainly never forget it. I don't think I've ever expressed my proper admiration for that particular stunt, have I?"

Zandra loosened her grip on the gunport and almost silently dropped into the sea.

Even at an island's shore, the Grand Line's currents were to be reckoned with. Still, she didn't dare to resurface too often to reaffirm her course and mostly relied on her gut feeling, which fortunately didn't mislead her too badly this time.

Her hair was wet and heavy when she finally dragged her feet out of the water, shivering with the cold. The sounds of the nearby town were still too far away to be anything more than muted and the light of the moon was far stronger than any man-lit lights.

After only a brief moment of respite, Zandra started moving again. The forest growing close to the shore didn't look particularly appealing to an urban child like her, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice.

She never had a choice. Or not a good choice, at least, just like she was never the good choice.

Ivy was the one people chose. Ivy was the one people wanted to talk to, who knew to be the perfect picture of modesty and grace when society required it of her, who was shy and quiet and compliant when the occasion warranted it.

Ivy was the one their father listened to, who he would have given the world to as long as she finally agreed to that one request of his. A request that would have secured her a marriage far beyond her station and would have offered her a comfortable life to the end of her days without the need of ever lifting a finger.

Ivy was the one who could rebel without consequences, who her father would never seriously get angry with no matter how stupid and downright dangerous her actions were. And Ivy was the one who caught the eye of big-shot pirates with her skills and sense for adventure.

Zandra hardly even noticed the vicious branches trying and failing to scratch any bit of exposed skin bloody. Her clothes, however, sadly weren't quite as resistant to damage.

She entered the port city through a shadowy alleyway, leaving wet footprints behind her. Grimacing she leaned against the brick wall and took in her sorry state.

Looking this way, she certainly couldn't enter the streets now and hope not to catch attention. It would probably be best if she searched for a secluded, easily protected street in this alley and waited until the morning to disappear.

Goode stood at a food stand opposite to her dark little alley.

Zandra hesitated, then turned around and headed deeper into the shadows.

 _"Maybe you're trying to light a fire to warm your icy heart."_

Despite stubbing her toe on a stone, Zandra continued walking silently.

 _"Geez, no need to try and bite my head off." What a weak reprimand. "I just wanted to check up on you."_

Her steps unwittingly slowed down.

 _"It doesn't get better." A blanket softly dragged up to her shoulders. "But you'll get used to it." An awkward laugh. "I don't really know if that's good or bad."_

Her feet stopped moving.

Zandra bit her lip almost hard enough to draw blood as she screamed at herself to continue walking, to hide, to fucking finally leave. She didn't have that sense of adventure – didn't feel the sea calling to her like many pirates romantically claimed it did. What was she still doing on a ship sailing steadily to its doom?

She turned around and walked back towards the market's lights, picking up that stupid stone along the way.

Fortunately, Goode hadn't moved much, chatting amiably with the salesman. The mood would have certainly turned a lot fiercer if they'd gotten to haggling over whatever Goode had his eyes set upon. But that would have to wait.

A small, very sadistic smile spread on Zandra's face for a second as she chucked her stone into the air only to catch it, trying to get a feel for her projectile. Another second of aiming, a steady breath and suddenly, her target was rubbing the back of his head with a grimace.

After stepping into the light just long enough for Goode to spot her, Zandra disappeared back into the alleyway, shoving her hands into her pockets.

What was taking him so long? Zandra irritably clenched her fists tightly. She should have just left. Why couldn't she just leave?

"What's up? What're you doing off the ship?" Goode was just tall enough that Zandra had to look up at him. She didn't like it. Maybe it was an embarrassing remnant of her wealthy upbringing, but she much preferred looking down at people.

"Gray Flake," she said tonelessly, returning her gaze to her hands. "He's got Francis. Dunno who else was up there. Dunno who's all dead."

A weird sound tore from Goode's throat. "Fuck," he cursed. Growling, Zandra noted. He was growling. "Gray Flake himself?"

"As far as I can tell," Zandra shrugged. "I didn't see him myself, but Francis recognised him." She looked up at Goode's torn expression – torn between fury, worry, a sense of hurry and a very primal, deeply-seated thirst for a revenge.

She wondered what Ivy would say if she could see him right now.

"Didn't see him coming," she stated more than asked. If either Francis or Goode had had any word about them, she would've known.

"No." He pinched his nose aggravatedly before grabbing her wrist. "Find Dante and let him know what's going on. Get him somewhere safe. They're sure to go after him again."

"This city's too big," Zandra snapped. "How on earth am I supposed to find him?"

"You're resourceful, I'm sure you'll figure something out," Goode replied with an annoying curl of his upper lip. Zandra was very tempted to smash his face in. "If you've got the time, try to find Finn in the forest. I could use the back up."

Goode turned away to walk down the alley towards their ship, but now, it was Zandra's turn to grab him by the shoulder. "You're going on your own? You gotta be suicidal."

"Well, I got a best friend to save, don't I?" He flashed her a charming smile.

Her frown deepened in return, but she reluctantly let him walk away. "Try not to die, idiot." Why did she not just leave?

Despite herself, she continued watching his retreating back.

xXx

Franky rhythmically tapped his screwdriver against the metal plating he'd only recently encased his left leg in. The synthetic skin meant to cover it in the future was still merrily growing in the laboratory, likely already rotted by the time he got out of here if he even got the chance to access it with how things stood now.

"Can't hear you! Lalalalala!" he sang cheerfully, mildly regretful that his space was too limited for a little jig. Metal hit against metal. Shouting reached his ears only in its muffled, definitely indecipherable form through the barred door to his little hideout, originally meant for peace and quiet to perform his … more questionable experiments.

His screwdriver rang loudly against his leg again. "The beat's too loud and catching, lalalalala!" he sang again, the volume increasing significantly to tune out the unwanted interruptions. This was all turning out even more bothersome than Franky had expected when the three brothers had first arrived.

It was fortunate he'd been on watch duty again when the submarine returned with news from the outside world. It was unfortunate that it had apparently borne exactly the news Franky hadn't wanted anyone to discover.

Still, when he saw them turn on Ace and Sabo, he knew he had to act fast. So, despite the little brat's protests, he'd grabbed Luffy by the neck and dragged him to this little hideout of his. It didn't matter how much he whined – at least the two of them were safe for now. They could worry about saving Ace and Sabo and getting out of this cursed island later.

The brat didn't seem to get the message, though. "Can I go now, Franky? Pleeeeease! I'm hungry. And I gotta help Ace and Sabo!"

"Lalalalala!" Franky sang again, slightly desperate by now. "No sound will ever reach my ears, lala!"

Luffy pouted, and damn, if that wasn't one of the most dangerous weapons he'd ever come across. But Franky would stay strong. He certainly wouldn't be cowed by some little kid again, even if Sabo clearly was a freak of nature.

"If you don't let me go outside," Luffy announced suddenly, "I'm not going to take you with us when we leave."

Franky's arm halted mid-motion, though the clanging continued in his head. He had not expected the little brat to go this far, considering how fond he'd seemed of Franky so far. This wasn't good.

He needed to get off this island as quickly as possible to make his way back to Water 7. Who knew what had happened after Franky had tried to stop the Government from taking Tom? Were that idiot Iceburg, that hag Kokoro and the brave Yokozuna alright? Were they safe from the Government?

But still, even if Luffy had promised to take him off this island, he couldn't let the brat go now. The kid was what – ten years old? And he wanted to take this island of lunatics out for his blood on alone? He'd be knocked out within seconds, if not worse.

If he let Luffy go now, he might as well resign himself to a few more years in this stupid prison, and he certainly wasn't willing to do so no matter how much its inhabitants might have done for him.

Some of his shock and worry at the kid's threat must have shown on his face as Luffy's eyes grew wide. "No, I didn't mean it! I promise! I'd never leave my nakama behind!"

There it was again. "I never agreed to join your crew, Strawhat-bro." Though it didn't seem like that bad an idea the longer he spent in the boys' presence, even if Sabo still gave him the chills.

"But you have to," Luffy insisted, as he had in the past. His stubbornness was kind of cute even if it grated on Franky's nerves. "You're my shipwright. You can't not join my crew."

Again, an argument he'd heard millions of times during the last days. If nothing else, Luffy could wear anyone down with sheer persistence. "I told you, I can't. I've got stuff to do." Who knew what kind of trouble Iceburg had gotten into? And maybe, just maybe they might have news of Tom. "Besides, I'm sure you've got enough shipwrights on your crew."

"We don't," Luffy replied readily, their discussion almost rehearsed by now. Next, he'd argue that Franky was the best shipwright in the entire world, so even if they'd had shipwrights already, he'd still want Franky on the crew, so he could build the fastest ship, the coolest weapons, and kick ass with the rest of their crew. It did sound kind of fun, but Franky knew he had to decline. Too much of his future was unpredictable right now to make such a commitment.

But curiously enough, Luffy remained silent, his face strangely … contemplative. It was almost disturbing to see the usually energetic, active brat downright pensive. A shiver of apprehension rolled down Franky's spine.

"I know," he finally said in a strange tone, looking straight into Franky's eyes with a seriousness that didn't belong on such a young face. "You're worried about your family. And you're scared of the Government, especially after what happened to Tom."

The temperature in the room seemed to plummet as Franky was torn between incredulity, well-earned paranoia and rage at the implicit threat. "How do you know about that?" he finally growled through clenched teeth, settling on the last. Was he a spy? His already less than stellar opinion of the World Government dropped even further as he contemplated the implications of that suspicion. Who would do that to a fucking kid?

"I only know what you told me," Luffy replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it wasn't. Franky had never told anyone what had happened before his near-death experience. "When Pluton was found in Alabasta, and you had to change Sunny to fight against it."

So much about this statement didn't make any sense at all, so Franky stubbornly decided to focus on the little tidbit that did. Panic settled in. "Pluton was found? When? Why haven't I heard of this?" If this was really true, then Iceburg might be in even greater danger than he'd anticipated.

"It hasn't been, not yet," Luffy answered calmly. "But it will be." Franky didn't understand how the usually energetic brat could be so calm and quiet while discussing the destruction of the world as they knew it. "I'm from the future."

Franky had so many questions.

He selected one very brief one. "How?"

"There's a fourth weapon."

Franky's jaw virtually dropped to the floor. "A … a fourth … There's three more of these things? You gotta be kidding me, Strawhat!" he exclaimed, his heart racing in his chest. The thought of Pluton was enough to let him rest uneasy at night, but three more weapons with a capability comparable to it … that was sick.

"Yeah, but I thought you knew about two at least," Luffy said sheepishly, tilting his head to the left. "But I guess Robin might have told you about them on Fishman island." The look on his face turned wistful.

Swallowing almost felt painful as Franky forced his mouth shut, contemplating the impossible child in front of him. Somehow, despite how ridiculous and fantastical Luffy's claim was, Franky didn't doubt the truth of it for a second. However, that didn't make it any easier to process.

Robin … Nico Robin? How was she involved in this? Tom had always been wary of her, but Luffy spoke of her fondly. Who was she to the child, no, the man sitting comfortably lost in thought? Was she a nakama, family as Luffy had dubbed him immediately upon encountering for what had been the first time for Franky? Had he once … would he consider her a comrade as well?

He forcefully pushed any thoughts of the troublesome raven to the side. There were more important matters hidden in Luffy's sparse words. He was Luffy's shipwright. He'd built a weapon on par with Pluton itself to counter the awful force he'd hoped would never be found. A clash between those two … What had the world looked like when Luffy had left it behind?

Pure terror spread an icy cold through his veins, and some of it must have shown on his face. "Shishishishishi! Don't look so worried, Franky!" Luffy jumped to his feet, looking every bit the cheerful, innocent child Franky had thought him to be for so long. "That's all in the past! Nothing's gonna happen here!"

The bright grin dimmed to a strangely meaningful smile as Luffy put his strawhat firmly upon his head. "I'm not gonna let it. I'll save everyone, I promise."

He held out his small hand for Franky to take, expression turning mischievous. "But I need my shipwright for that! Will you help me, Franky?"

Franky didn't even need to think about it, really. As frightening as the future suddenly seemed, Franky had never been one to back down from a challenge. And neither was Luffy, it appeared. One child against the world … "Of course, I will, captain."

xXx

Bepo didn't like the forest on this island. He'd always liked forests – maybe it was part of being a mink, or maybe it was something that uniquely defined him. If he was honest, it didn't really matter to him when he was in a forest. Something about being so close, so uniquely entangled with nature just washed all his worries away, like the sea did for Law.

It was a pine forest. The trees didn't stand to close to each other, but their crowns were majestic and perfect and green, and both their old needles covering the ground and the freshly grown green painting creative shadows over their faces emitted their unique herbal scent, refreshing and calming all the same.

It was strangely peaceful. But quiet. So, so quiet. Bepo was reminded of the townspeople Finn had spoken to. A haunted forest, they said, unnatural, eerie, dangerous. Despite the otherwise nice atmosphere, Bepo couldn't quite disagree with them as the silence was unnerving. And the absence of any and all animals was certainly worrisome. This was the Grand Line – maybe this was a unique perk of this island? Maybe there was something on this island that allowed only humans to live, and was poisonous to every other living being?

A shiver went down his back. Not a good thought. Maybe he should have stayed on the ship. He didn't want to die on a strange, exclusively human island. "Please don't kill me," he whispered into the air. He still hadn't managed to return to his home. He couldn't die now.

A hand grasped his shoulder. Bepo grew still with terror. Was this it? Was this his final moment on this wonderful earth that had Luffy and Law in it? Was this the moment where his short life would start flashing before his eyes, where he would regret everything he hadn't had the chance to do, to discover?

"You okay, Bepo?" Bepo exhaled. The hand on his shoulder felt warm, supportive, not the ice-cold grip of death that it had been mere moments ago. He wasn't alone. He was safe. The island wouldn't get the chance to eat him as long as he stayed with their group.

With relief, Bepo looked up at the teenager next to him, watching him with worried eyes. Finn. Law's new friend. And Law didn't mind Bepo going with Finn to the island. Because Law trusted Finn, which meant Bepo could trust him, too. "I think the island's eating everything that's not human," he whispered. "That's why it's so quiet." He looked around cautiously. "Please don't let it eat me."

Finn smiled a slightly crooked smile at him. "Nobody's going to eat you on my watch. Don't worry." Bepo wasn't worried. After all, they were nakama, and even if he was scared of this forest, he wouldn't let it eat Finn either.

A slight breeze ruffled Finn's hair and Bepo's fur, reinforcing the pine scent and … something else. "We're not alone in the forest," Bepo immediately said, his nose twitching. Finn's smile dropped off his face, his eyes narrowing as he tried to smell what Bepo had. They both turned south at the same time, the rest of their group following suit. A couple of tense seconds passed in silence.

Then, a rumbling sound broke the stillness of the forest. The ground started shaking underneath them. An earthquake? Finn took the wooden staff off his back, dropping into a ready stance. Bepo followed suit as Ivy drew her guns, almost losing her balance in the process.

The roots came alive.

They shot towards them, wrapping around their ankles, their wrists, their torsos, their necks, fixing their bodies into place to leave no room for movement. Already, some of their comrades had been captured as Bepo tugged on one of the roots around his ankle, trying to tug it free. Instead, more roots appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around his busy hands.

The forest was going to eat him. He really shouldn't have come.

A sharp blade snapped his restraints, a dark hand hauling him back to his feet a second later. Just as quickly as he'd come, Cameron was gone again, dancing out of the way of some roots trying to grasp him until he was back to back with Finn, who had his eyes closed as he delivered sharp blow after sharp blow to their attackers.

It wasn't roots, Bepo suddenly realised. They were too bright, too green, and the ground wasn't broken as it should have been if they were fighting against roots.

Instead of rolling back to avoid another one of those bright green things, Bepo caught it in his hand when the next one attacked. He tugged on it to no avail. It was some sort of vine, and it certainly had to have roots that went deep. But where did it come from?

The ground, which used to be covered with dead needles was now steadily being swallowed by the green vines, growing at a speed that could in no way be natural. And he had smelled other people in the forest just before the attack. Which meant …

"Finn!" Bepo shouted, taking off towards the south again. "They're this way!" The teenager's eyes snapped open in an instant, following Bepo immediately with Cameron protecting his back. The faster they found the people behind the vines' strange behaviour, the sooner the rest of their group would be safe.

The vines didn't follow him as he got out of range of the attack. In fact, if he couldn't still hear the sounds of the battle behind them, he would have believed he'd imagined this whole thing. Once again, the forest seemed completely still, as eerily peaceful as ever.

Yet it all was only a hardly believable illusion when Bepo could smell the humans trying to surround the three of them. Without hesitation, he sprinted to his right, jumped up high and delivered a sharp kick to one of their opponents. "Hiyaah!" he shouted, falling into his familiar stance.

It wasn't the forest trying to eat him. It was just people being mean and stupid again.

His first victim stared up at him from the ground, raising his hands in surrender, his eyes wide with disbelief. Bepo barely swallowed the urge to apologise. Law always insisted that it wasn't his fault that people had never heard of minks before. So, no apologising.

"Bepo, watch out!" Finn shouted from his left even as he knocked his own opponent unconscious. Bepo swerved in his direction just in time for the sneak attack to fail, his attacker stumbling off balance as he missed Bepo with his knife. Three kicks in sharp succession threw him backwards, groaning on the ground while Bepo was barely out of breath yet.

The fight was surprisingly going very much in their favour compared to the shameful beginning of it. There weren't really that many stupid people trying to ambush them – in fact, there were too few of them. Bepo frowned. He could have sworn he'd smelt more than the ten he could currently spot lying around in varying degrees of pain or trying to best Finn and Cameron.

He tried to detect them with his nose again, but a strong herbal scent filled his nose again. Before, he'd thought it was simply the scent of the pines, but now, it seemed too strong, appearing too sudden to have possibly been present all along. What was it?

Before Bepo could investigate the mystery scent further, though, vines started attacking again, from one second to the other, catching all three of them off guard. Bepo heard Cameron's colourful curses as he tried to tug his wrists free to no avail. The remaining stupid people they'd been fighting were unsurprisingly spared, their stances relaxing with relief. "Thanks, cap," one muttered before kneeling down next to one of their fallen comrades.

A strange fluttering noise came from behind Bepo, the herbal scent increasing tenfold. "You shouldn't have let them get so far away in the first place," a melodious voice scolded. "I was still busy with the others." Soft footsteps started right next to Bepo, the fluttering noise suddenly gone.

He looked to his right, and just for a second, he stopped breathing. That human … that being had to be the most beautiful one he'd ever seen in his entire life. Certainly, more beautiful than some of the minks he could vaguely remember from his childhood. Even more beautiful than sweet Amaryllis with her big blue eyes and heavenly food.

She was small – maybe of a height with Luffy and dressed from neck to toe in tiny green leaves of all kinds, forming a coat that couldn't have been made by any hand, no matter how talented. Her dark brown skin and olive-green eyes reinforced the ethereal feeling her unique clothing inspired. Her dark hair shimmered in the sun like moss just after a refreshing rain, done up perfectly in a braid with tiny flowers woven into the strands.

The most eye-catching part of her, though, were her wings, which uniquely betrayed her as non-human. Which made sense, Bepo told himself quietly, because no human had the right to look this perfect with their furless skin and disrespect for nature. But this woman with her blue and green and golden wings, more colourful and impressive than any butterfly, this woman was nature incarnate.

Their eyes met, and she frowned. Even her frown was beautiful, though it had no right to be. Law frowned all the time when he concentrated, and Bepo thought it would be better for him if he relaxed and laughed more. It made him look less of a walking corpse as he so often did.

"What are you looking at?" she snapped. Her voice was still pretty.

"I'm sorry," Bepo muttered instinctively, unable to look away. She scoffed and proceeded to ignore him.

"Which of you idiots is in charge here?" she bellowed at Finn and Cameron wrapped up in vines a couple of feet away from Bepo.

"I am," Finn answered calmly without hesitation even as he tugged futilely on the vines. "Is this a Devil Fruit power?"

"I'm asking the questions here," she growled, grinding her teeth together. Bepo'd never seen such a pretty smile. "Tom. Knife. Now," she commanded one of the men behind her, stretching out her delicate hand in expectation.

"There you go, cap," the man replied light-heartedly, going down on one knee to offer it to her. Her gaze instantly turned blood-thirsty.

"You think I can't reach the knife if you don't kneel down in front of me? Do you?" she shouted at him, punching him in a very sensitive area. Bepo winced in sympathy even though he deserved it for offending her. "You think I'm too small to do any harm?"

"Course not, cap," Tom groaned, lying on the ground in pain. She looked like an avenging angel next to him.

"Good," she said curtly, turning back to Finn. "I don't want to hear any last words from you aside from answers to the questions I ask. You say something I don't like, you lose an eye." She positioned the newly acquired knife far too close to Finn's face, her stance unbelievably graceful.

"What?!" Finn yelped, leaning back a bit.

"Stupid pirates," she sighed, moving closer in response. "So stupid you might as well be deaf." She poised her knife in front of Finn, aiming for his eye …

Finn disappeared.

"Where did he go?" she shrieked, looking around the clearing in disbelief. She looked anywhere but where Finn had been just a second ago, which was about as stupid as she'd accused the second commander of being mere moments ago. But Bepo was glad for it. Even if she was really, really pretty, he still didn't want Finn to lose an eye. The aura of deadliness had done nothing to decrease her beauty, though.

Unnoticed by the forest goddess, a poodle crawled out from underneath the collapsed pile of vines, transforming back into Finn in the blink of an eye. Before she or the few men around her could react, he'd disarmed her and tripped her, pinning her with his staff mere moments later. Bepo struggled against his vines a bit. How could he be so cruel?

"Right. Questions," Finn snapped sarcastically. "Why are you attacking us?"

"How are you even doing this?" She looked so vulnerable on the ground. How could Finn even think about attacking her?

"Doing what?" Finn asked sceptically. "Asking questions? I open my mouth and talk, just like you demonstrated to this stupid pirate."

She stared at him in disbelief. "You're immune. I've never met anyone that's immune to this whole crap. What are you?"

"I'm Finn. Nice to meet you," he deadpanned. "Does this mean we can talk like civilized people now?"

She hesitated. Understandably so, considering how rudely Finn was threatening her. What was wrong with him? "Okay," she finally answered, somewhat dubiously. "Let's talk like civilized people."

Finn scrutinized her for a while longer before removing his staff and extending his hand. She took it gracefully and let him pull her back to her feet, despite him being the one who'd thrown her to the ground before. Bepo tugged at the vines restraining him again.

Finn's eyes flickered to him at his movement. Bepo made sure to glare back, earning a surprised glance in return. What was there to be surprised about? Did he really think Bepo would be fine with his actions just now? "Would you be so kind to let my friends go now?" he fortunately questioned. Bepo was starting to get quite sick of those restraints.

The forest goddess looked rather amused at his suggestion. "I could, but I really don't think you want me to," she replied. "My men know not to act without orders. Your two friends, on the other hand," she continued, a strange emphasis on the word friend, "look quite ready to murder you for touching me."

Murder was a bit drastic, Bepo thought. But scratching him up a bit would probably be a good idea. Finn was a good man, after all – he really couldn't understand his actions from a few moments ago. It was sad to see him so misguided. How could he have attacked someone so innocent and perfect?

"Huh," Finn exhaled. "You're right. That would explain the killing intent in this clearing." His eyes swept from Bepo and Cameron back to the woman standing opposite to him. Her men moved slightly closer to her, hands on their weapons. "Devil fruit power?" he asked again.

"Yep," she replied. "Really annoying one, too. This is the first intelligent conversation I've had in weeks. Everyone else just goes braindead the instant they look at me."

"Impressive," Finn granted. "A mythical Zoan, I'd say. What're you supposed to be? An overgrown butterfly?"

"Very funny," she replied dryly. "My guess is a fairy, but it's not like this thing comes with a manual or anything. All I can tell you is that my hair stays absolutely perfect no matter how windy it is, those leaves are stuck to my skin like glue, and stuff grows like crazy when I'm there."

"How about turning back, if it's annoying you this much?" Finn suggested. Bepo still couldn't understand how they were suddenly talking so civilly. Hadn't Finn threatened her just a few minutes ago?

"Gee, thanks! I never would have thought about it! That's why I'm still stuck like this after four annoying weeks!" She crossed her arms petulantly. "Anyways, let's get to those questions I've been dying to ask you." Her sweet smile carried a wonderfully deadly note.

"Ooo-kay," Finn replied, raising his eyebrows sceptically. "I'll start. What's your name?"

"Technically, you already started with my devil fruit, so it's my turn," she countered childishly. Finn muttered something under his breath which was likely rude and entirely inappropriate. "Where's Roy?"

Finn didn't blink. "Who?"

"Who?" the woman repeated dangerously. "Are you fucking kidding me? You kidnapped him, like you kidnap men and women left and right however you damn well please! Without even wasting a single thought on the people they leave behind! And now you're going to act like you don't even know what I'm talking about?"

"I really don't," Finn cut in rudely. His voice was like metal grinding against metal in comparison to her melodious tones. "Look, lady, I think you got the wrong crew. We've only been in the Grand Line for, like, three months. When was this Roy kidnapped?"

"Oh," she visibly deflated. "Five years ago."

"Five years ago," Finn repeated. Why would he repeat her perfect words with that annoying voice of his? This was downright blasphemy. "And you're still looking for him."

"Of course I am!" she snapped. "He's practically my brother. I'm not about to leave him at the mercy of some pirates."

"That's admirable," Finn conceded, as if it was ever out of question that the forest goddess was anything but right. "But it's been five years. A lot can happen in five years."

"Stop dancing around the subject, boy. I know that reasonably, he should be dead," she rolled her beautiful eyes. "But I've done some research into this group. They have patterns in how they're moving around, who they take and what they do with them. Everyone they've taken has shown up again on different islands, doing odd jobs for them, even Roy. I think they're brainwashing them into loyalty."

"Sounds awesome," Finn dryly replied. "And you think they'll show up here soon?"

"Definitely," she nodded. "They usually come in small submarines because their main ship's the size of an island. Literally. Tom caught sightings of it a couple of days ago, so now we only have to wait for them to show up."

"An island – like a literal, moving island?" Bepo's eyes widened at Finn's question. For a brief moment, he even forgot to be mad at him. Had they finally found the trace of the captain's that they'd entered this forest to possibly discover?

"You don't sound as surprised as you should be," the forest goddess remarked.

"Well, they, erm, kind of took our captains a few days back," Finn admitted, scratching the back of his head. "How about we team up? You got some knowledge we could use and, no offense, you look like you could use some more firepower."

"None taken," she replied light-heartedly. "Like I said, it's refreshing to work with someone who can actually think for themselves unlike those braindead fools." She waved at her comrades behind them, who didn't even twitch.

"I'm Chloe, by the way," she continued, holding out her hand.

Bepo really didn't like the smile on Finn's face when he shook it.

xXx

 _"It's pretty," Luffy said, his eyes going wide. "And shiny," he added, his expression going dark. "Nami would have liked it."_

 _"She would have," Robin agreed softly._

 _"What does it say?" Luffy asked with a curiosity he didn't really experience anymore, but felt he had to show anyways. Nothing was as interesting anymore as it had been. A bit sentimentally, he poked the shiny golden surface._

 _He never heard Robin's answer as everything turned to gold._

Franky was his shipwright again. Luffy grinned. Now nobody and nothing could stop them. They'd sail to Water 7 and kick everyone's asses if they even thought about getting on Iceburg's nerves. Franky'd build the Sunny again – cheerful Sunny that had always been their home more than anything else, not the weapon they had to turn her into. No, cheerful, happy Sunny.

"Come on, let's go get Ace and Sabo and get out of here!" Luffy announced in good cheer, sauntering back to the door.

Franky still looked at him as sceptically as he had before the revelation. "You do realise that there's people out there trying to throw us into a cell with them, right?"

"Yeah, but I'll just put them to sleep for a bit," Luffy promised. "Nobody's gonna get hurt. I know you like the people here."

"You'll put them to sleep?" Right, Franky didn't know about Haki yet. It was so weird having his friend back, yet somehow not. But it was still Franky. They could always build new memories together.

"Yup. There's this thing called Conqueror's Haki that I can use. Sabo can explain it later," he quickly rushed out. "I'm awful at explaining stuff."

"Eh, you're good enough, bro," Franky replied, his words as nice and encouraging as they always were when he was in the right mood. "I wouldn't have believed any of that time travel stuff if blondie'd told me about it."

"Sabo's not that bad," Luffy denied but didn't press the issue. Considering the way Sabo'd acted since they'd arrived on this island, it wasn't too surprising that Franky wasn't his biggest fan. They'd have more than enough time to get to know each other again when they were out of here. "So, let's go?"

"Fine," Franky sighed, pushing away the table that was blocking the entrance before unlocking the door. "I'm not going crazy, am I?"

Luffy tilted his head to the side. "Why would you think that?"

Franky didn't answer his question, which was weird, because Luffy hadn't intended this to be a question without an answer. A retrospective question? A retrievable question? A rainbow question? Luffy nodded to himself. "That wasn't a rainbow question."

Franky looked at him. "Yup, I guess I'm definitely going mad if there's a thing like rainbow questions."

This all got complicated and confusing really quick, so Luffy decided he'd just go ahead and knock everyone out before they continued talking. Nothing was more annoying than people interrupting a conversation with his nakama by stumbling clumsily into his path. "Why do you think you're crazy?" he repeated.

Franky still looked at the comatose bodies strewn around them, hesitating a few moments before following them. "So, I guess that was Conqueror's Haki?" Luffy nodded. "That felt really strange. Like I stood up to quickly."

"It was just a light dose, and you're my nakama, so you're strong enough to withstand that. If I really meant it, you'd probably get dizzy." Luffy shut his mouth. He didn't really like talking about Conqueror's Haki. No matter how useful it could be in a fight with uneven sides, and no matter how commonly it was used in the second half of the Grand Line, it still felt wrong. He didn't want to conquer other people's will. He wanted them to be as free as he was himself.

"Oh," Franky replied. A strange silence fell between them as Franky led the way towards the cells while Luffy knocked out a couple of people every now and then. "Any other crazy powers I should know about?"

"Not really right now," Luffy replied instantly. He wasn't good at explaining this stuff anyways, so why bother now? "We're teaching some stuff to the crew, so you can learn with them if you want." Though Franky'd never unlocked Haki the last time around, it really couldn't hurt. It was always nice to see his nakama become more badass.

His brief good cheer all but evaporated as they got closer to Ace and Sabo. They felt … not good. Really not good. "I think something's wrong with Ace and Sabo," Luffy said quietly as he tried hard not to let their anger influence him.

Observation Haki was a strange thing. On a surface level, it increased your awareness of your surroundings. As you progressed in proficiency, your awareness increased to an extent that you could predict an opponent's moves until it seemed like you were looking into the future as Katakuri was. But there was a part to it that nobody had taught Luffy ever, a part that he'd only discovered whilst reliving his childhood with his brothers.

Maybe it was because they practiced it a lot together. Maybe it was because they knew each other so well that Haki only brought them closer together, reinforced their bond. Maybe it was the Will of D, which Luffy still didn't understand, but what he did know was that he could feel their emotions intimately when they were close enough and he himself focused enough. As it was now, he could barely differentiate between his emotions and theirs.

Luffy clenched his jaw and his fists at the same time and started walking faster. Why did he spend so much time talking to Franky? He should have gone out immediately, looked for his brothers and made a break for it. But no, he had to waste time chatting with Franky and …

No. Spending time with his nakama was never wasted time. Abruptly, Luffy blocked his Observation Haki more thoroughly than he had in a while. He couldn't let them influence his feelings like that, even if it did make him mad that they were arguing this intensely. They were brothers. They shouldn't get this mad at each other. A little mad sometimes, but not this hot-burning-let's-destroy-everything-mad.

Luffy wasn't surprised when he arrived in front of their cell, looked through the fascinating translucent rock, and saw utter destruction.

Ace's upper body was bare, his skin littered with small flames running across it, not noticing or being bothered by being on fire. In fact, he was probably doing it on purpose, so Sabo couldn't just touch him without thinking.

Sabo's goggles had fallen around his neck, the right side of it broken. His shirt was partially singed, as was his hair, but it barely seemed to bother him as the shiny black of Armarment Haki spread further and further across his body, covering arms, legs and even part of his face by now.

The room itself was … well, it was lucky that there wasn't any wood in there. As such, there were only occasional scorch marks and crumbled rocks lying around, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. "What the …" Franky muttered next to him.

Sabo was breathing heavily, glaring at Ace who looked surprisingly composed aside from the frown on his brow. "I'm nothing like my father," Sabo hissed. Luffy's eyes widened a fraction. Ace had said that? "But you," he continued, voice turning into a growl, "you're just as stupid and reckless as the headless chicken that Roger was. No wonder he was only Pirate King for a year."

He hadn't just said that. Luffy paled. "He didn't just say that," he whispered out loud, but that didn't turn it into the truth.

Ace's eyes surprisingly only narrowed a fraction. "Wow. Seems like you inherited his cruelty, too. Are you really sure you're better than a Celestial Dragon?" Sabo launched himself at him with a snarl.

They both dropped to the ground before they came even close to touching each other.

Blood was rushing through Luffy's ears. It didn't sound like idyllic, crashing waves as it often did. If anything, it was like the daunting waves the worst storms in the New World kicked up.

They hadn't just said that.

They laid still on the ground like dolls whose strings were cut. No finger or toe even twitched.

"They didn't just say that," Luffy said again, though no ears but his were listening. Franky was unconscious next to Ground Zero.

"They didn't just say that."

Nobody answered him.

xXx

 _A/N:_

 _Hello again, my loyal readers! Unfortunately, I'm not here to stay. This little piece was merely a reprieve from writing my thesis, so I won't be back until July at the earliest._

 _Still, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter, even though it's been such a long time and you've probably forgotten about all the characters. Sorry again, but life kept happening and sometimes it's really hard to find the inspiration and the time to write._

 _Alternate chapter title: Wherein shit really hits the fan. And actually, more shit's gonna keep happening in the next chapter, because we haven't even really gotten started on the stuff that will go down on the ship. Lots of OC moments, lots of canon character moments, lots to look forward to in the next chapter (Sorry!)_

 _And then, there's Sabo completely losing his shit. I hope this flip was somewhat understandable, though. I tried to build towards it in the last chapter and this one, so I hope it didn't come completely out of nowhere like certain other character turns in a certain other show that just showed their season finale._

 _I so look forward to hearing your opinions on this chapter. Even when I'm not feeling up to writing, it's always so energizing to see a new review, a new follower, a new favourite. It just really makes it fun to create stuff._

 _So if you're hopefully leaving a review, please give me your opinion on a couple of points that would really help me decide on the course of this story:_

 _-) Which of the characters do you like best/would you like to see more of?_

 _-) Are there characters you think I should kick off the crew? And, since I'm currently opening that door just in case, do you think I should strike the noname background characters and just reduce the crew to the essentials, or should the Devilspawn stay a big crew and grow to have more units?_

 _-) Are you okay with the story having some gritty realism at some points, or would you prefer the more sunny tone that the original manga carries?_

 _-) Just in general - what are you looking for when reading this fanfiction? What do you like/dislike?_

 _I'm really looking forward to hearing your opinions. :)_

 _Also, to **Caraline Fisher** : I'm not forgetting Brook. I'm getting there. Slowly. Very slowly. But getting there._

 _To **marhedrarizky** : Yeah, I know, Sabo longs for freedom a lot. So much that he occasionally spontaneously combusts, which is why the Mera Mera no mi fit him pretty well. So no, sorry, but he's still not getting a Devil Fruit. He's already badass without one._

 _To **AReflectiveProjection** : You know, that's a really brilliant idea. Don't know how much sense it would make that they would have Law's submarine - I mean, how would Law have gotten a submarine from a moving island - but if I find a way to kind of justify it, I might put it in here._

 _And thanks to all the other encouraging reviews!_


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